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“I paint my imagery on construction to further confront the viewer and their normal viewing patterns and stereotypes (all paintings are flat, on canvas, etc.)” Jeff Pullen was born in New York City in 1948. Even as a young boy, he was no stranger to the streets of the five boroughs. His love of New York and a chance viewing of an Edward Hopper retrospective in the mid 1960’s eventually grew into his unique expression. His work has been described in various press releases as “see-through walls”, “forgotten streets once traveled”, and “Edward Hopper meets Elmore Leonard.” Pullen’s work confronts and creates a tension for his viewers, always existing on two separate but equal levels. The first level is emotional through the use of his imagery. Pullen says, “Art is a passionate pursuit, whether making or viewing it, and the work should immediately evoke an emotion to connect the viewer to the painting. |
| For me a piece of artwork without emotion is a cold equation”. Pullen uses found objects as the foundation of his mostly large pieces: shutters, doors, storm doors, louvers, brick, even hoods from cars. They are not related to the subjects of his work. They simply provide the structure (canvas). He paints his imagery on constructions to further confront the viewer with a three-dimensional feel (and smell with the use of brick, wood, etc.) setting up a constant reality/illusion tension. Jeff Pullen studied painting and drawing at Pratt Institute, receiving a BFA and MFA. Despite a very successful teaching career in art education from 1970-1998, Pullen says, “Painting is all I really saw myself doing.” His work is represented internationally in numerous private and corporate collections. He has had over 30 one-man exhibits.
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