I began painting and otherwise producing
art in the mid-to-late 1980s. It was a hobby then. Now producing
art is a full time occupation and necessity for living.
Producing art is my way of commenting on
the things of the world around me and the way they seem to
be constructed. It is decorated discourse.
I tend to paint in bright colors with bold
lines and simplified images. Generally, it is the idea(s)
surrounding objects rather than any specific object that I
am trying to represent.
In much of my work I paint highly stylized
representations of familiar objects which may allude to a
number of associated ideas depending upon the contexts in
which they are placed and the viewer’s experience and
point of view (e.g. apples, water, light bulbs; see attached
glossary).
I often use the following devices in my work:
unusual juxtaposition of objects, irony, parody, puns, allusion,
metaphor, symbolism, non sequitur, etc.
Titles are important. What a painting is
called is more than a label to identify it. Titles, like Duchamp
said, are like “another layer of paint.” In the
best cases a painting can only be fully understood and appreciated
when the title is taken into account. The best titles leave
room for various interpretations.
I have always had an unusual sense of humor.
I try to deploy some form of this in most of my work even
though the underlying subject matter may be serious.
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