My Art Show 2013
Throughout my body of
work you will notice the influences of surrealism and abstraction with symbolic
representation of my subjects. These
styles allow me to express my interpretation of the world as if it were fanciful
and, at times, somewhat strange. My
ideas come from subjects ranging from video games to nature to human emotions
and dreams. I have noticed two
breakthroughs in my painting technique with this body of work. One is the ability to control and create
geometric lines and shapes by using a masking technique throughout the
development of the painting. Second, I
have been pushed to be spontaneous with my work allowing ideas to emerge from
the use of materials.
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| Dinner for a Kraken |
Dinner for a Kraken is
a good example of how I like to use shading in my drawings. I do not really know where some of my ideas
come from; they just bubble up as I’m working.
Images tend to evolve as my mind overflows with surrealistic tendencies.
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| Underwater Volcano |
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| Window to the Ocean |
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| Galactic Snot |
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| Snail Shell |
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| Ape Man |
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| Phoenix vs. Dragon |
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| Yin-Yang Eye Ball |
When creating Window to the Ocean, Underwater Volcano, Galactic Snot, Snail Shell, Ape Man, Phoenix vs. Dragon, and Yin-Yang Eye Ball, I was pushed to use acrylic paint in new ways. With each work of art, instead of starting with a specific idea, I experimented with various combinations of color, lines, shapes, and patterns – much like brainstorming. During this experimentation or incubation phase an image or idea emerges and inspires the direction of my work. This has helped me gain insight and react to the work as it is developing rather than becoming disappointed with the outcome when it isn’t what I initially intended. This flexible thinking has aroused more creativity in my works. It is difficult to fully conceive of an idea at the beginning of a composition. Being prepared to adjust and work with inspiration as it comes has led me to more complicated outcomes.
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| The Eye of Death |
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| The Severed Nightmare. |
Expanding my
understanding of shading forms and creating transparencies, I explored oil
pastels by drawing The Eye of Death and The Severed Nightmare. Influence
for the first of these two drawings came from a cartoon called “The Raven” which opens as a lighted
candle melts atop a human skull. In my version,
the skull transforms into a cloaked personification of death surrounded by an
eerie mist. The mist represents the
overwhelmingly repugnant and vomit inducing stench of the walking dead. The Severed Nightmare was influenced
by a dream where I was immobilized with fear by a horrifying, vein-bursting
severed arm that was hovering towards me.
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| Do What ‘cha Dodo, EXTINCTION |
The painting Do What ‘cha Dodo, EXTINCTION is a
surrealistic world filled with imagery from cartoons. The masking technique allows me to achieve
hard edge geometry in a world overtaken by mystical smog.
An example of a complicated
outcome is The M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.O., v2.0 which evolved over nearly 6
months. Each new application of
materials led to a more complicated whole in the end. My original thoughts for this sculpture were
based on Cartoon Network’s Kids Next Door M.O.S.Q.U.I.T.O. ship which
required my researching real mosquito insects for the form. Next, I determined that plaster gauze, a new
material for me, would be appropriate for the construction and fusion of ideas
for my sculpture, including metal dinosaur-like sails, plating, and
spikes. In the end the sculpture cried
out for a complete environment. This
idea inspired me to create the golden, brick and mortar paved pathway upon
which the sculpture is mounted.
The art I create is
meant to express my visual experiences, both from dreams and from real-life
encounters. When that happens, I believe
I have succeeded in my goal. Each piece
is the end result of a journey. I hope
you enjoy traveling with me.
