Featured Paintings.
All paintings are available.
Centurion.
|
Centurion will be making its debut at the Main Street Arts Small Works show this October in New York! This will be my second year in the show and the first time Centurion will be on view.
The title is inspired by a musical score we played in grade school, a title that has stuck with me for years, and is intended to imply leadership in the role of the figure on the left, who seems to be overlooking a landscape littered with objects and detritus from some unknown event. Flags wave in the background and a helmet-esque structure looms in the background. Have they happened upon an abandoned camp or discovered there own has been plundered? Did a night of revelry get out of hand, or has a battle been lost? The Centurion surveys the scene, knowing a move needs to be made, but they and the viewer are left to wonder what that will be.
|
Small Abstracts
|
A big goal for the coming year is to reintroduce "fun" into the studio practice. I don't mean that I haven't been having fun or that I don't have fun doing the art I've been doing...but there has been a lack of levity and spontaneity to an extent. One way I've improved that in the past is bringing in smaller, simpler paintings, amongst the more long term projects. When I'm getting stuck or feeling a little less interested, I can pull a small canvas out and doodle a bit so to speak.
These six small-scale abstracts came from that line of thinking. I had a few busy weekends with multiple shows going on outside of Milwaukee requiring a lot of travel for pickup and drop-offs. When I finally got home I didn't have the energy or time to really dive into some of the other things I've been working on, but I didn't want to waste the end of the day. I scribbled some lines across prepainted panels I've had sitting around and did a little automatic drawing. 
|
I'm not saying these are masterpieces, but I do think they capture what I was going for. I wouldn't enjoy doing abstract art exclusively, but I do think I need to cut back on SOME of the refinements and let the ambiguity and exploration take over. Sometimes simplicity feels...lazy? I've said before that I wish I could be a minimalist, as I really enjoy some of that type of work, but I could never let a canvas remain so bare. I think part of this goal of increasing exploration like this should be about allowing moments of respite, calm and simplicity, even if only to offset the complexity in other areas of my paintings. All six of these are available over on the shop. I'll also be taking them to Scout Gallery over the weekend for the opening next Friday so feel free to come take a look in person.
|
|
|
|
The Last Summer Day.
|
If I don't like a painitng, it usually doesn't last too long. I don't paint over things all that often anymore but if I'm not liking something, at the very least I'll just not call it done and keep it on the easel for later. On the flip-side, every so often some paintings just feel "right". Like you're uncovering them more than creating it from scratch.
The Last Summer Day is one of those paintings for me. After the very first session I had a strong sense that this was going the right direction and had a unique presence that has stuck with me. I've never shown it and it has lived on the wall outside my bedroom for the last year or so...but there's just something about this painting that immediately connects and lands with feet firmly on the ground. Take a closer look HERE and contact me if you're interested in taking it home yourself.
|
The Demon Series In-progress
|
|
|
The Demons series was inspired by a pose, a glance, and the thought of a troubling possibility: What if attraction (mental, physical, and spiritual) is a tactic used and abused by those you're most willing to trust as a way to lead you astray? Like flies to a bug-zapper, would we march mindlessly to our own doom if presented the the right lure? Could we see through someone or something purposefully taking advantage of an uncontrolled weakness? We can sometimes identify see these situations easily when it comes to abusive relationships, online scams or cult-like groupthink, but what may seem like an obvious ploy or scam to someone on the outside may be indistinguishable from truth to someone blinded by the proximity of their desire. I sought to make a series of paintings that depict this juxtaposition of allure and deception through lush, vibrant scenes that present a main figure as a sort of central and symbolic subject that mysteriously attracts as well as one that carries an air of unsureness; like approaching a glowing treasure, we're drawn into the scene, its subject, and the promise it might hold, but wary of what mirage may evaporate and what may be lurking when we extend a hand to take it.
Demons I (up top) takes on a bit of a lost civilization feel with a large person or sculpture emerging from the water, seemingly overtaken by nature and forgotten. Demons II (below) has a bit of an interior temple vibe with a large central idol and a clean columned platform. These are 16x20" and 20x24" so also on the larger side of what I've been working on lately. Demons III is 10x30" and can be seen below #2. This painting takes on the idea of the leader, followers and onlookers. On the left a two figures watch from a desolate landscape. The leader on the right motions to his captive audience as they drift into the background. I plan on a variety of sizes for this series, though, as usual, specifics will come naturally as the series progresses.
Demons I (up top) takes on a bit of a lost civilization feel with a large person or sculpture emerging from the water, seemingly overtaken by nature and forgotten. Demons II (below) has a bit of an interior temple vibe with a large central idol and a clean columned platform. These are 16x20" and 20x24" so also on the larger side of what I've been working on lately. Demons III is 10x30" and can be seen below #2. This painting takes on the idea of the leader, followers and onlookers. On the left a two figures watch from a desolate landscape. The leader on the right motions to his captive audience as they drift into the background. I plan on a variety of sizes for this series, though, as usual, specifics will come naturally as the series progresses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Frame Series In-progress
|
|
|
|
|
The Frame Series got started unintentionally after a donation of 8 38x52" frames. At first I planned to use them to frame art already created, but once I got them home I realized I didn't really have anything that would fit all that well, let alone 8 paintings I wantedt. I've always wanted to integrate the frames and borders of my canvases into the art itself, I just never set out to make it happen... so after a day or two of leaving the frames alone, I stretched a canvas using the frame as the stretcher itself and got started. Virgil was the first in the series but even after finishing, I wasn't entirely sure whether the series would be thematic or simply tied together by materials. I couldn't get the name Virgil out of my head while making the first painting, so the title stuck and gave rise to the concept of some sort of Greek poetry or mythology inspired subject matter. Pollux, Circe and Daedalus were relatively quick to follow, with the fifth currently untitled and in progress. I have three more frames to go and a whole lot more thoughts to record, so keep an eye out for more, click the images above for some close-up details, and contact me with interest in purchasing or showing the series.