With the same determination he attributes to his Scandinavian roots and humbly credits for his success as a painter, Andy Sjodin approached Steve Diamant, owner of Arcadia Contemporary, and told him he would have his work in his gallery one day. After nearly three years of persistence and devotion to improving his work, Sjodin achieved his goal last summer. A year later and Sjodin is now having a solo show at Arcadia from July14 to 28.
Hand Thrown Bowl and Nicaraguan Pot, oil on linen, 45 x 45"
Sjodin’s tenacity aside, the artist’s core disposition is one of quietude and introspection and, in his own words, tuned to a minor key. His minimalistic still lifes are both somber and luminous, reflecting Sjodin’s intent to create a space and atmosphere of calm that he, and hopefully his viewers, would want to step into.
“I’m interested in pursuing the subtle nuances of light and mood and inspiring a level of contemplation,” says the artist. “I’m intrigued by the idea of giving the viewer the space to dwell within a painting.” 
The Earth, the Feel of Dried Grass, oil on linen, 25 x 30"
Sjodin gives the emptiness in his still lifes the starring role while the austere objects serve as compositional elements to ground the space in physical reality. In his other work, figures take center stage but the same approach, and desired outcome, applies.
“Ultimately I’m chasing the light,” says Sjodin, who captures its elusiveness in the folds of drapery, a linen cloth, or the shadows between a woman’s shoulder blades, with exacting skill. “I want to create an honest space with light that feels natural and that you can feel moving around the object. [My subjects] have to live in the light, in the space that they’re painted in.”
He also hopes his work offers a respite from the harried pace of modern times.
She, With Water, the Grass Grows, oil on linen, 22 x 33"
Among Branches, Turning, oil on linen, 21 x 32"
“Everything is so busy and fast and brief and superficial and overwhelming,” he says. “It’s very antithetical to what I, and I think a lot of people, actually need and want. When I’m provided that space, whether through music or art or conversation, I’m grateful for that experience. I’m striving to create that for those who want it as well—a space that gives them the room to go inward…a window into themselves.” —
Arcadia Contemporary
421 W. Broadway • New York, NY 10012
(646) 861-3941 • arcadiacontemporary.com
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