Bruzen

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Bruce Zeines: A Surrealist Rooted in Reality Article by Alice Arvan Published in Brooklyn Fine Arts Magazine Fall 2007Describing how he creates his dense, cross-hatched, surreal pen and ink drawings, Brooklyn-born artist Bruce Zeines explains: “I start with a blank piece of paper; set off a limited area and begin to make pen strokes. I don’t preconceive these images. They emerge out of my subconscious. I let them lead me, with no holds barred so that any image can, and does emerge. The result is a mystery, not only for the viewer, but also for me.” Years of experimenting with automatic drawing, a technique made famous by such surrealists as Max Ernst and Andre Mason, have taught Bruce that his role as an artist is to be the “vehicle” through which the work takes shape. “Life has dealt me a set of circumstances and experiences, which have taught me something deep. This evolving spiritual quality has affected my art profoundly and is reflected in my current work.”In his 2006 solo exhibit “Secret Stories,” the public recently had a chance to view these drawings at Gallery 64 in Park Slope. “They represent my strongest work to-date,” says Bruce, adding, “they are the culmination of the intersection of my experience, my inner work and my age (51).” Bruce is alluding in particular to the 1997 death from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) of his older brother, Ed Zeines, a sculptor and Fulbright scholar, and Bruce’s seminal and most lasting artistic influence. This was a life-altering experience for him.“My brother was eight years older than me. As a child, I was intrigued with his drawings of space ships and his amazing comic book collection.” These formative experiences were so compelling that at the tender age of nine, Bruce decided he wanted to be an artist, a decision he has never veered from. His brother’s tragic and untimely death also liberated the adult artist by allowing Bruce to go even deeper into the dark underbelly of life. At the same time, his inner work and spirituality have enabled him to introduce a new element to his drawings that he calls “the light that lies behind the chaos.” We can see this exemplified in works like “Lot in the Sodom Marketplace” which depicts a mixture of pain, anguish, anger, craziness, chaos, quietness and peace. “When I was working on “Lot…” he says, “I inevitably reached the point, when I have to fight the urge to give up. It is only when I get past this point that the drawing takes form. I have learned not to get in the way of the process.”See the rest of this article in the premiere issue of "Brooklyn Fine Art Magazine" which can be viewed online at http://www.bfamagazine.com/