Most find it difficult to discern a specific time or place in Jake Stutz’s paintings, as they bring to mind a bygone era and the present simultaneously. His subdued palette belies vigorous and, at times, chaotic paint handling, and his compositions consistently fall apart and put themselves back together. In Stutz's work, intense moments of attention contrast with a gentle overall buzz. This effect gives his paintings the sense of time standing still and a view that life is a patient pursuit of peace despite the drama.