Crude Oil Works

In the spring of 2009, he developed the idea of painting and printing his sculptures with crude oil to depict the early days of the oil industry, combining the texture of geopolitics with an abstract painting practice.

Secunda states, “Crude oil plays a fundamental role in every aspect of 21st century living, from energy and transport to agriculture and medicine, and is the main component of the world’s most frequently used material – plastic. If crude oil is the world’s ultimate facilitator, it must therefore be a contender as the ultimate artist’s material.” Its presence alone speaks immeasurable volumes, but it is crude oil’s ability to function as a painting and printing medium that allows it to be employed as an artistic tool.