artist statement

AS A CHILD, THE CAMERA AND IT’S PRODUCT, ALBUMS AND BOXES OF PHOTOGRAPHS, WERE A BIG PART OF MY LIFE. FREQUENT FAMILY OUTINGS, DRIVES IN THE COUNTRY, SIGHT SEEING TRIPS TO HISTORICAL PLACES AND AMUSEMENT PARKS, OR JUST DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES WERE DOCUMENTED USING THE CAMERA’S EYE.  THE SMALL PIECES OF PAPER WITH THE BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES WERE LABELED SIMPLY, AND CAREFULLY MOUNTED BETWEEN THE ROUGH BLACK PAGES TO BE EVER READY FOR VIEWING. I WAS FASCINATED WITH THE IMAGES AND WHAT THEY REPRESENTED: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE (AS I ANTICIPATED THE BLANK PAGES THAT I KNEW WOULD BE FILLED TOMORROW).

I WAS FASCINATED BECAUSE THE STARKNESS OF THE IMAGE I COULD SEE AND PHYSICALLY HOLD SHIFTED BEFORE MY EYES LIKE A FIGURE/GROUND REVERSAL CONFLICTING WITH THE REMEMBERED EMOTIONAL  IMAGE I PHYSICALLY FELT AND SAW IN MY MIND’S EYE.

I HAVE SPENT MY LIFE OBSERVING THOSE AROUND ME, I HAVE MAINTAINED THAT 6TH SENSE THAT ANIMALS AND CHILDREN HAVE NATURALLY.  I TRY TO USE THAT AS I WORK TO HELP ME BRING THE PRESENCE OF THE FIGURE(S) FORTH, OFF THE CANVAS.

STARTING WITH PHOTOGRAPHS FOR REFERENCE TO ASSIST MY VISUAL MEMORY, I MANIPULATE THEM BY CROPPING AND/OR MOVING THE FIGURES IN OR OUT AS I REDEVELOP THE SNAPSHOT TO SIGNIFY THAT IT IS MORE THAN WHAT IT IS. I AM INTERESTED IN HOW THE LIFE-SIZE FIGURES, SOMETIMES LARGER THAN LIFE, WILL WORK COMPOSITIONALLY AND EMOTIONALLY IN THEIR NEW DIMENSION.  AS IN LIFE, MY FIGURES FORM GROUPS. KNOWING THAT THE CASUAL GROUPINGS IN MY PAINTINGS ARE A MEMORY SHARED BY MANY PEOPLE, IF NOT ALL, I TRY TO GIVE THEM FOCUS WITH MY PAINTING TECHNIQUES.  I LIKE TO COMBINE REALISTIC, MORE TIGHTLY RENDERED PAINTING WITH GESTURAL DRAWING, SENSITIVE LINE AND PAINTERLY BRUSH STROKES, USING COLOR IN AN EXPRESSIVE WAY.  THE LIGHTING I EMPLOY DIRECTS THE VIEWER THROUGH THE PAINTING.  TO HEIGHTEN THE SENSE OF TIME STANDING STILL, I PLAY UPON THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRESENCE OF THE SUBJECTS.  SOME OF THE SUBJECTS CONFRONT US, THE VIEWER, ALMOST INTERVENING INTO OUR SPACE OR WE ARE INSERTED INTO THEIR SPACE, OUTSIDE OF TIME...

HISTORICALLY I LOOKED AT EDWARD DEGAS’ PICTORIAL CONVENTION OF CUTTING OFF AT THE EDGES WITH WHICH HE PICTURED THE CONTEMPORARY SCENE OF HIS TIME.  VINCENT VAN GOGH AND HIS PERSONAL EXPRESSIVE USE OF COLOR WAS A CATALYST FOR MY SUBJECTIVE USE OF COLOR.  I HANDLE SOME AREAS OF MY PAINTING WITH TRADITIONAL REALISTIC RENDERING RECALLING THE PAINTERLY BRUSH WORK OF JOHN SINGER SARGENT WHILE I LEAVE OTHER AREAS FLAT WITH NOT MUCH MORE THAN A THIN WASH.  LARRY RIVERS GAVE ME PERMISSION TO LEAVE AREAS SEEMINGLY UNFINISHED WHILE ALBERTO GIACOMETTI SHOWED ME THE BEAUTY THAT COMES AFTER THE STRUGGLE WHEN OVERWORKING THE CANVAS.

WITH THE WORDS...

“NATURE IS NOT ONLY WHAT IS VISIBLE TO THE EYE--IT ALSO SHOWS THE INNER IMAGES OF THE SOUL--THE IMAGES ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE EYES”,

EDWARD MUNCH EXPRESSES MY ATTEMPT TO BREATHE LIFE INTO THE SNAPSHOT WITH MY INTERPRETATION OF THE FIGURES. AS WITH THE SNAPSHOTS IN THE ALBUMS I VIEWED AS A CHILD, TIME COLLAPSES; PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE COEXIST.  THE PAINTING BECOMES AN EXTENSION OF MYSELF AND THE ONLY REALITY.