Randy Seitsinger received his undergraduate and graduate architecture degrees at Oklahoma State University and worked as an architect in New York City and Chicago before returning to Stillwater in 1987 to join the OSU School of Architecture faculty. He served as Head of the School of Architecture from 1995-2016, as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology from 2016 until he retired in July of 2022. Seitsinger has painted since he was a college student and is inspired by many painters throughout history. He has traveled widely, is an avid museum visitor, and takes inspiration from his travels and from his Oklahoma roots. He now lives and paints in Chicago, IL.
Artist Statement
Painting and architecture enjoy a close and intertwined relationship. At their core, they both involve the investigation of cultural values, they both rely on basic principles of design, and they both are the product of inspiration and expression inspired by curiosity. Painting and architecture are two linked ways of seeing and understanding the world. While the exploration of the symbiotic relationship between drawing, painting, and architecture has taken me down multiple avenues of exploration utilizing both objective and non-objective approaches, most recently I have focused solely on drawing and painting from a perceptual point of view.
I am very interested in discovering and revealing the essence of place. This involves an understanding of the cultural and physical aspects of an environment and involves direct observation and communicating these observations honestly and without sentimentality. Some of my drawings and paintings reveal and celebrate the beauty of the place directly. Most recently, I have focused on the everyday condition in contexts that we would not naturally see as interesting, and certainly not beautiful. In these paintings of mundane and even conventionally ugly places, I am challenged to reveal innate qualities that might be considered in a positive light. These qualities might include the patina of age, the juxtaposition of new and old, interesting combinations of form, the layering of space, the layering of cultural history, or even formal patterns like the laciness of overhead wires which mitigate between solid form and open space. I have learned a lot from these paintings and hope others can find interest and beauty in these unconventionally showcased places.
EXHIBITIONS and REVIEWS:
KRob AIADallas Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation National Competition, online publication, and exhibition, recognized as Finalist, Professional Hand Category 2020
Modella Gallery Group Show, Stillwater, OK 2019
Art by Architect Group Show, Individual Artists of Oklahoma and AIA Central Oklahoma, OKC, OK, 2019
Modella Gallery One-Person Show, Stillwater, OK, 2018
Design Communications Association national juried exhibition, part of group show, Billings, Montana, 2016
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, part of group show, 2016
Design Communications Association national newsletter, feature article, 2016
AIA Central Oklahoma Gallery, OKC, 2016
Design Communication Association national juried exhibition, part of group show, Atlanta, Georgia, 2014
Malinda Berry Fischer Gallery, Stillwater, OK, solo exhibition of paintings, 2013
Design Communication Association national juried exhibition, part of group show, awarded the William G. Hook Jurors Award, Stillwater, OK, 2012
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, solo exhibition, 2012
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, solo exhibition, 2010
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, two-person exhibition, 2000
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, solo exhibition, 1999
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, two-person exhibition, 1993
Town and Gown Community Theatre Gallery, Stillwater, OK, two-person exhibition, 1993
OSU SOA Gallery, Stillwater, OK, two-person exhibition, 1988