Instead of painting traditional subject matter, Trenton Doyle Hancock takes the opportunity to relate an ongoing story in his works.
Through drawings, prints, and collages, Hancock weaves the tale of his mystical characters.
Most, if not all, of Hancock's pieces are about the Mounds, the made-up half-plant half-animal creatures he invented. Hancock's works depict the different components of the lives of the Mounds, such as their birth, dreams, death, and afterlife. His pieces are also influenced by the Biblical stories he heard as a child, often incorporating them some way into the lives of the Mounds.
Some of Hancock's works appear abstract in form, and the artist himself expressed how Abstract Expressionism has influenced him and his art. Although the backgrounds of some of his works are abstract in nature, his characters, on the other hand, are not. The characters themselves are not realistic, but you can definitely tell that they are some kind of creature or another. Viewers can clearly perceive a story unfolding in Hancock's pieces as well. You can tell that the works are not depicting some detached scene, but a chapter that correlates to the pieces before it.
Hancock takes every opportunity he can to develop the Mounds, whether that's through color, languages, or patterns. It is because of this active seeking to further his work that makes Hancock's art so intriguing.
Information provided by:
"Trenton Doyle Hancock." Art21. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2014
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