TJ Rinoski, Flyball, 2022, Oil on unstretched canvas, 17 x 22 cm
TJ Rinoski’s work is an uncanny illusion touching on a humorous edge of his memory. He paints stories without clear narratives, as memories tend to be misleading and not always truthful. Rinoski’s images are preconceived and gathered from tattered handwritten notes that only make sense to him. The words inscribed on his pages refer to his own experiences, photographs, and the occasional film scene.
Rinoski’s process starts with staining color on minimally gessoed canvas to create a dry foundation. By blotting his brush in a punch-like manner, he blurs color until a textured artifact emerges like a dusty postcard from your grandmother's bookshelf. This matte texture mimics the palpable feeling of its subjects.
While Rinoski’s works are derived from personal anecdotes, his paintings evoke shared experiences. Whether it is an elementary school field trip to the aquarium or watching sports on a sunday evening. The absence of details invites the viewer to momentarily live in the interpretation of his memories and build their own story within. Rinoski’s pieces convey the flexibility of a memory, that we are all mere visitors in the storytelling of one’s imagination.
TJ Rinoski lives and works in Richmond, Virginia. Solo exhibitions include TJ Rinoski, 68 Home Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, US (2021) and TJ Rinoski, Gallery 5, Richmond, Virginia, US (2021). Duo exhibitions include Cut: Katelyn Eichwald & TJ Rinoski, Cob Gallery, London, UK (2022); Summer Save Me, Cherry Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, US (2019); Group exhibitions include Charta, Fortnight Institute New York, US (2022); Summer Stage: Act Two, Auxier Kline Gallery, New York, US (2021); Buzzed, Black Iris Gallery Richmond, Virginia, US (2019); Behind The Curtain, Shopkeepers, Washington D.C, US.
SOLO EXHIBTIONS
2021 TJ Rinoski, 68 Home Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, US
2021 TJ Rinoski, Gallery 5, Richmond Virginia, US
DUO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Cut: Katelyn Eichwald & TJ Rinoski, Cob Gallery, London, UK
2019 Summer Save Me, Cherry Gallery, Richmond Virginia, US
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 Charta, Fortnight Institute, New York, US
2021 Summer Stage: Act Two, Ausxier Kline Gallery, New York, US
2019 Buzzed, Black Iris Gallery, Richmond, Virginia, US
2019 Behind The Curtain, Shopkeepers, Washington D.C, US