About Brad Terhune

Brad Terhune crafts weird worlds through his collages, something he has done since childhood. A northern New Jersey based artist, he embraces the influences of 20th century Surrealist influence in creating portals into his strange realms, often imbued with the powerful subjects of politics and social justices. His collages incorporate a plethora of materials, like historic photographs, and other disciplines, like printmaking. His paintings, meanwhile, represent a dialogue between creator and canvas, with Terhune asking himself how and why the image develops as it does; this is the soul of these pieces, which are ‘about’ exactly what the viewer sees. He majored in Illustration at the School of Visual Arts in the 80s and obtained a BA in Art Education from Montclair State University. Along with creating new works, he serves as an art educator for Clark Public Schools and an Instructor at Zimmerli Art Museum’s Summery Art Camp. He frequently exhibits in the New York-New Jersey area and is featured in collections in Japan, England, France and elsewhere in the United States.

 

New Brunswick Art Salon 2021 – Photography: “Shifted Nature”

Artist Personal Website: https://bradterhune.com/home.html

Email: bradterhune@yahoo.com

Artist Statement

I am a northern New Jersey-based artist and educator and have been making collages and paintings since childhood. In my collages, I am often looking to create a weird, surreal world, and have been influenced by early twentieth-century art movements that embraced and explored collage, while continuing to explore this vibrant medium in the contemporary arena. Sometimes, elements of printmaking and other disciplines are partnered with these materials. Politics and social justice seem to be dominant subject matter recently, and the messages can be subtle or overt. As these two directions of working continue side by side, I find myself more and more in love with a medium that has lasted a lifetime. 

In my painting, the exploration of abstraction is a dialog that forces me to consider how and why the image develops. My concern lies with the surface of the painting, without the illusion of space beyond these two dimensions. Therefore, these paintings are ‘about’ exactly what you see. 

Exhibiting regularly throughout the NJ/NY area, my work is in collections in Japan, England, France, and throughout the United States. 

Exhibitions

  • 2020 Terrain, Emerge Gallery, Saugerties, NY
  • 2020 Luxury Boom, Hamilton Street Gallery, Bound Brook, NJ
  • 2019 The Big Show, Drawing Rooms, Jersey City
  • 2019 Kristallnacht, SK Art Gallery, White Plains, NY
  • 2019 The Art Project at Hamilton House, Jersey City
  • 2019 Revisiting Jerseyscapes, New Jersey City University
  • 2019 Malled & Walled: American Style, Turbine, Glarus Switzerland 
  •  2019 Zero to 70, Smush Gallery, Jersey City, NJ
  • 2018 Soft News, Smush Gallery, Jersey City, NJ
  • 2018 Swamp, Hamilton Street Gallery, Bound Brook, NJ
  • 2018 Cut Pieces, Emerge Gallery, Saugerties, NY
  • 2018 Artivism, Pollak Gallery, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ
  • 2018 Dig, Hamilton Street Gallery, Bound Brook, NJ
  • 2018 Small Works Baruch, 2018, Sidney Mishkin Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2018 Members Miniatures, Monmouth Museum, NJ
  • 2017 Metro 31, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ

Activities and Affiliations

  • 2019 Co-Vice President, Pro Arts Jersey City
  • 2017 Member, Pro Arts Jersey City
  • 2016 Artist Talk, Zimmerli Art Museum Rutgers University

Artist Interview