Artist Statement
An indication of time
is at the core of my work.
Be it a fleeting moment in the
delicate last seconds of a day, an indication of a season, or
the repeated dream of existing in a far gone era. Time weaves
through everything that I paint.
The elegant structures that catch
the light in my work exist in the moments that have emerged from
an intentional open-eyed search for the sublime. These forms
may present significance to each of us individually. Some emotionally
connect based on their time spent, some observe and comment on
technique as it can be that simple, and others immediately discount
realism, piling the need for a deep cerebral context over any
chance of a simple emotive response to one painters idea of beauty.
For those who seek a deep eccentric and cerebral confusion, consider
checking under the driver side fender
trust me, its
in there.
Or consider a simple attraction
to the vintage VW bug that is as overt as the feminine curves
of the vehicle itself. As a figure based subject matter, this
car carries significance with many. The memories of a large portion
of a generation living life before the tech boom fall somewhere
within Ferdinand Porsche's nearly perfect design. A contemporary
presence of this almost century old icon highlights our modern
collective loss of elegance in design for
objects used by the masses. Of
course there have been other vehicles that have had just as interesting
and elegant curves or have had sleek statements of pure muscle,
yet did not function as the utilitarian coach for the masses
that the bug became in its repetition through decades. Because
of pure volume in production based on public demand, this character
of a the vintage iteration of this car sustains a modern day
presence that has the ability to remind us of who we once were
as a whole, in a time that will never be repeated.
I discovered the truth of this
character in a city that is an icon in its own right and, ironically
enough, is our modern mecca for technological advancements. The
visual relationship of the two entities, for me, resonates with
a time that predates me by a decade. I find that there is something
very romantic about periods of time that have preceded us. I
am not a history buff and one could argue that, the time referenced
was no different than now, with social struggles, political stalemates
waiting to be repeated half a century later, and technical progress
that the mainstream minds of the day have considered to be spectacular
and will revolutionize the way we live. Yet I cannot help but
feel that there is something I missed that happened before I
got here. It is the type of experience that cannot be written
in one mans cannon of history but rather can only be experienced
first hand. You might then say that this is all an exploration
to justify my place in time
and it is.
My current painted exploration
of the varying landscape of the state of Wisconsin has allowed
me to sever the need to be in a place where I no longer exist
and for that matter in a time that, in theory, I never had the
opportunity to grace. In a way the plein air practice has brought
me into my current existence without the distraction or the desire
to be anywhere but now.
An indication of time is at the
core of my work.
Yet as moments pass, I have found
that the most significant place in time is the one that is sitting
right in front of me.
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