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Artist Statement,
“Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you'll be a mile from them, and you'll have their shoes.” Jack Handey While on the surface this is just a silly quote from a nonexistent philosopher yet, in many ways, sums up two of the driving forces behind my work; empathy and cynical humor. In the age of the 24-hour news networks and an internet brimming with information of various levels of credibility, it is hard to escape the wider world and the events contained therein. As a pragmatist, I am interested in separating the real from the “fake” and am often appalled by the victimization and marginalization of various people and groups. When I hear or read a news item that resonates with me, I start to visualize it. I then proceed to glean images and motifs from popular culture and other artist and set myself to try and assemble a tableau. Using actual people or archetypes, I endeavor to present images that communicate the feelings that have been generated within me and then express, mainly through paint, these emotions to the viewer. In my more cryptic work, I am satisfied if the observer understands the issue if not the specific incident. Regardless, I am an optimistic cynic, a condition that provides the alchemy needed for dark humor. Despite the injustices and horrors, I understand that we all need ways to deal with the issues. Sometimes you just have to laugh. |
