In his large-scale abstract paintings, Jeff Elrod combines hand-drawn and digitally rendered elements to produce hybrid images that blur the lines between physical and virtual spaces. From the MoMA PS1 and Whitney Museum of American Art to the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Elrod's bewildering work is everywhere. Although his gestural markers are based on the tradition of medieval abstract painting, his work benefits from the development of digital technology. Elrod uses a technique he calls "frictionless drawing," using software programs like Photoshop and Illustrator to draw and distort computer-generated images in an automated and intuitive way. He then transfers these images to his canvas through digital imposition and manual application, using acrylic paint, tape and airbrush combined with digital printing.
