Artist to Know: S.W. Dinge - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Wednesday, March 01, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

In Providence’s vibrant creative community, artists make work around every corner. Located atop a slim building that hugs Washington Street, painter S.W. Dinge’s studio practice ranges from pure formal abstractions to text-based works that probe language and meaning. An active exhibitor who has called Rhode Island home for twenty years, Dinge continues to create and share compelling artworks.

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Dinge, who originally hails from a bucolic region of upstate New York, finds downtown Providence to be a stimulating place. Speaking of what it is like to make art in the heart of the capital city, he explains, “Having my studio in downtown Providence has had a significant influence on my work. I enjoy the harmony of the city sounds in the background. Having grown up in a much more rural atmosphere of chirping birds,  horses, cows, and coyotes all doing their thing, and some days when only one or two cars would pass by, I had always hoped to one day move to a scene much closer to where I am today. Now, the symphony of buses and cars beeping mixed with conversations of the people passing on the sidewalk, and perhaps someone unintelligibly shouting at a brick wall gives me the aural stimulation that feeds my creative soul to a much more satisfying level.”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

Dinge studied at Oneonta State University and lived in Colorado for a time before relocating to Providence more than two decades ago. He has shown his work frequently and has been the subject of solo exhibitions at local staples like AS220 in Providence, One Way Gallery in Narragansett, as well as former venues Yellow Peril Gallery in Olneyville and ArtProv in the Jewelry District. In 2021, he was featured at C.J. One Gallery in Midtown Manhattan. Recent collectors have taken his paintings home to Boston, Philadelphia, and beyond.

 

Describing his creative process, Dinge says he starts with a clean slate. He explains, “Each painting begins with a staring contest between me and the blank canvas. This showdown can sometimes last all day as I rifle through ideas and possibilities in my head. Once my initial act, be it a swath of color or a line, is taken, it then creates what I see as a visual problem. Each subsequent step after that is a way for me to solve that problem. Eventually, enough steps have been taken to where I feel all the visual issues have been addressed and I can accept the work as 'finished'.”

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

In addition to his purely abstract work, Dinge also has a new series of paintings that center on letterforms. Explaining that writing was his first creative love, Dinge says that he started out as a journalism student before turning his focus to the visual arts. The use of language in his artwork comes naturally. In 2022, a word-focused painting earned a top award in Pawtucket Arts Collaborative’s TEXT exhibition, juried by Dan Wood.

 

Of the similarities and differences between his text work and his abstractions, Dinge says, “With my abstract works, I feel a much greater sense of pressure and vulnerability to make the painting work or succeed. With my text paintings, the thinking work is done before the brush ever hits the canvas. The writing, the compositional math, and the colors are all first determined, then, at that point, the act of painting becomes just a meditative mechanical act. I suppose that doing both types of paintings satisfy two different parts of my brain and personality.”

 

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For Dinge, creating is not only about expressing himself or examining ideas. It is also about finding a connection with those who view his paintings.

 

Speaking of what he hopes audiences experience when they look at his artwork, Dinge says, “Art connects with everyone in a different way. Some people like to analyze and even over analyze every line and brush mark and dig for deeper meaning that may or may not be there. I'm always intrigued by what those types of people see in my work. Much more than that though, I am interested in striking a chord with those who don't usually connect with the arts. Nothing makes me happier than having my work resonate with someone who was initially uninterested or thinks that they 'just don't GET art.'”

 

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For Dinge, creating enjoyable paintings that appeal to viewers in unsuspecting ways is a point of pride. He continues, “The best compliment I receive is hearing someone say, 'I don't know why I like this, but I really do love it.' To me, that says I connected somehow with their subconscious, and that's when I feel like I've really succeeded.”

 

Learn more about S.W. Dinge at his website, www.swdinge.com or follow his work on Instagram at @swdinge.

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

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