Andrew Bolam's work centers around ideas on visual cognition. Following two separate, yet linked, directions - building abstract marks into recognizable imagery and using outlined silhouettes of animals to elicit an emotional connection within the work. This process by which we recognize and understand silhouettes is passed down from our earliest ancestors. Again, linking our ability to recognize animal shapes and the emotional part of our brain that controls our fight or flight instincts. This connection is so potent and crucial to our development as a species that it dominates our earliest forms of art in caves and rock art across the world, particularly in the prevalence of the profile view and the use of outlines. Bolam is similarly interested in the iconography of Native American culture as it relates to our heritage and its continued prevalence in pop culture. His approach to the subject matter is one in which the image becomes almost superfluous. The abstraction and color harmonies should become interesting in themselves; working with acrylic on panel to exaggerate texture, color, and repetitive imagery to create bold and modern paintings. Born in Northern England in 1971, Bolam studied Graphic Design at the Newcastle College of Art. In 1991, he relocated to Southern California, working for several years as a freelance illustrator. In 1996, he moved again, this time to Lake Tahoe, to pursue his interest in painting full time. Following a broad and intuitive path, a consistent theme has emerged: The West. Andrew’s work has evolved over the last twenty years into a recognizable and modern rumination on familiar Western subject matter. His work is shown in Galleries across the west and most recently in The Museum of the West in Scottsdale Arizona. Selected Publications: Tahoe QuarterlyAmerican Artist Western Art Collector Park City Magazine Selected Collections: Vail CorpMartin CampEast West PartnersSt RegisJayhawk CapitalUline. Ship Art InternationalKevin Knight Jeff Huber Tim Peterson Steve Schmidt Neil And Tana Grimmer Judge Judy Chris And Julie Hsu Sully and Lorrie Sullenberger Terry and Rose Collins Mark Armenante Kent and Missy McCarthy Frank and Brenda Slootman Guy Saperstein