ON PAINTING
Painting is an art that reached it's peak during the
renaissance. Since then, applying paint to a surface has been experimented with
in almost every way. Painting has often been declared dead. So in an era when
painting is seldom considered on the cutting edge of contemporary art, why pursue
it?
When talking about Lucian Freud after his death an art critic from England said
in effect that we talk about the stars of conceptual art but it's paintings
that we love.
In my work I use elements of abstraction and various degrees of
realism to achieve a desired affect that varies from piece to piece.
Inspiration in much of my recent work is taken from popular culture, especially
the transient nature of things, like fame and fashion, the persona we create in
our minds about famous people we know only by the songs they sing, the parts
they play and what we read in magazines. We come to love or hate people we have
never met by the fables invented about them. By extension we may also create
persona for ourselves and play out the parts based on these illusions. I also
like to riff on art, like a jazz musician quoting passages or giving it a new
spin, in a continuum of traditional themes, especially imagery that has entered
popular culture. Some works are more lyrical and others more narrative. I love
art and the varying creative processes. I brush spray splatter drip and stencil
the paint, whatever it takes. I have always created because I enjoy it. While
art can make one think, and the best art does. I believe the main motivation
should be the joy of doing it. It has been said that van Gogh suffered for his
art. Perhaps his art eased his suffering.
