Trystan Bates describes himself as a quiet person by nature who is observant. He enjoys exploring the history and behavior of human beings and often incorporate aspects of storytelling, social behavior, global mythology and ritual in his work.
By limiting the elements Bates employs in his pieces to shapes and gestural marks, the compositions provide just enough information to suggest a narrative but not enough to force a meaning upon the viewer. This creates a situation in which one can gain a clearer understanding of the image and its meaning the longer they spend in meditation, looking and bonding with it. The process of collecting, abstracting and rearranging information into visual symbolic forms is where his process starts. These forms are then utilized to translate aspects of the human experience into poetic compositions that engage with the public in a playful, optimistic way. Through Bates' efforts, he aims to build a positive visual world full of joyful narratives that will make others think, imagine, and experience a creative moment of connection with his pieces and each other.
His current work combines geometric forms, abstracted symbols, gestural lines and texture to build series of deconstructed and symbolic visual landscapes. Attraction and repulsion, balance, the poetry of movement and the examination of positive /negative space are recurring themes that can be seen throughout the series. Hints of architecture, nature, and human behavior are presented in a stripped down, symbolic form. His compositions provide just enough information to suggest a narrative but not enough to make it obvious. T
