“Houses work as an excellent visual metaphor for life” Will Carpenter describes his ever-evolving collection Stacked Houses. This collection emerged in 2011 and has been growing its concept and medium ever since. This collection presents compelling possibilities from painting to drawing to a combination of both. Stacked Houses explores the profound allegory embedded in the concept of houses as dwelling structures. “Like us, houses are active and alive: they grow as we build them, they repair as we fix them, they wear down as we live in them.” His interest in exploring houses comes from an eagerness to navigate the human relationship between time, physical space, and our relationship to each other.

*Insoluble Structure*
Mixed Media
9.5" x 7.5"

Insoluble Structure was the first piece in this series. This piece was critical in forming this collection as it initiated play and allowed Will to let the materials take control. He was fascinated by the addition and elimination of color in creating a conversation among these houses. This process forces some structures to stand out while allowing others to occupy an equivocal space in the background.

Along with teaching as a professor in the division of Art at Indiana Wesleyan University, Will embraces the joy and the challenge of creating bodies of work. He describes this space as captivating, joyful, and terrifying at times. This collection was full of engaging discoveries. With each step lies questions, from “where is this going to what is it trying to tell me?” Each question is critical. Some pieces present challenges and have to be restarted entirely. Garden Reflected was a piece that composed challenges that then turned into opportunities. “I put down the paint and watched with horror as the whole drawing disappeared… then had to start all over from scratch.” While it was a big setback, it turned out to be more riveting in composition and vigorous in color.

*Garden Reflected*
Mixed Media
9.5" x 7.5"

Stacked Houses is a collection that sparks imagination in vibrant and dynamic ways. With this body of work, Will hopes that the viewer perceives “unity and beauty in possibilities in places they haven’t seen before.” The vibrancy of the interaction of color in this collection sparks imagination and implores the viewer to seek beauty in unexpected places.

Stacked Houses will be in the Galley Annex at the Harrison Center through the month of April. Come through in person or check out the online gallery.