A sense of the sublime is a constant theme in the painting and writing of John Sant (b. 1993, Los Angeles), whose recent body of work was influenced by a four month trek along the Appalachian Trail.

Sant’s abstract paintings centre particularly the romanticism of the sublime, using composition and palette to build portals the viewer can almost feel. His work is underpinned by his research into fractals, chaos theory and universal structures, but these paths of inquiry are simply the beginning of his making process. Fundamentally, his practice’s endeavour is theological, focussing on an irreducible solitary moment.

The Farm, taken from his degree show composition of abstract paintings on canvas and found objects, is a cultivated natural environment displaying nature bending to human will: ‘the farm’ as a concept can be seen as the imposition of the regular and comprehensible onto the irreducible world of the fractal and the chaotic. Simultaneously, the farm is a joyful place, where a fundamental sense of nature is revealed in the picture plane, allowing the viewer to reflect and take part.

Sant previously graduated with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, and following his graduation from the Slade School he is working on applications to doctoral programmes that will allow him to further integrate painting and writing into his artistic practice.