Madison, WI ARTIST STATEMENTMemory believes before knowing remembers. — William Faulkner Recent work has focused on depicting the imperfect role memory has in shaping the image of the self. Seeing memories fade or blend with events outside personal experience in aging family members has shown me how fragile our recollections are and how this shapes a new identity. While remembrances, snap shots, and mementos all act as catalysts, the image making process plays a large part in the discovery of meaning in the work. Layers of imagery are added and scoured away as the work progresses, much like our minds do over time. Some parts fall away and that which remains recombines in a way that might create something unexpected. In the end the work hopes to provide a glimpse at some personal truth and provide a foothold for the viewer to relate to. TechniqueRecent changes have brought an expanded approach and handling of materials to the work. Formal training in printmaking and a long professional involvement in the graphic arts are being acknowledged. Painted works might include oil paint, acrylic paint or encaustic media. Lithographic and other transfer processes often aid in the image creation. The work’s surfaces are built up in a series of applications and removals of the chosen materials. All frames are designed and built by the artist using a variety of hardwoods. Some works incorporate gilding on the frames or as a substrate under paint. BIOGRAPHYBarry Roal Carlsen was born in 1957 in Omaha, Nebraska. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1980. He then moved to Madison for graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. Carlsen graduated in 1983 with a Master of Fine Arts degree. Carlsen divides time between his studio and a position as senior artist in the UW Communications Office. He has been a visiting artist at a number of universities and occasionally teaches lithography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Carlsen has received numerous grants and awards. His work has been exhibited nationally and in Europe. They can be found in private, public, corporate, and museum collections, including the Chazen Art Museum, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Meriter Hospital, Rayovac, and the Progressive Corporation.