My name is Chad Glazener (he/him) and I’m an abstract artist and writer in Portland, OR.

My creative journey as a painter began when I encountered abstract art as an adult, and experienced a deep, contemplative connection. Standing before works by Franz Kline, Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, and Cy Twombly, I saw and felt something vital. These works hummed with an energy that I can best describe as pure presence. The paintings commanded my attention and led me into interior silence.

In my work, I explore the expressive power of gesture through shape, color, and line. From our earliest human ancestors to contemporary abstraction and minimalism, gesture is the way we articulate when words are not enough. I am captivated by the ways marks connect our hearts through time and space.

My creative practice is informed by my theatrical training in “Viewpoints”—a postmodern method of stage movement that emphasizes visual composition through time and space. I fuse these embodied insights with my endless exploration of mysticism, contemplation, and enduring wisdom. The result is dynamic abstract art that invites viewers to descend into the shifting contours of their inner world.