STATEMENT

I take satisfaction in a painting’s ability to enhance an audience’s connection with specific places.  Drawn from my experience in Los Angeles, my works compose abbreviated landscapes that convey the character of architectural landmarks.  My goal through painting is threefold: to stimulate the eye of the beholder through balance and imbalance of form, color, texture and materials; to challenge an individual’s recognition of place, thereby including them in my creative experience; and finally, through the recognition of our shared experiences a dialogue is inspired in which we learn from each other about the personal and civic significances of our architecture and neighborhoods.

My work process is an exchange between the execution of decisions and concessions made to the natures of the materials.  Informed by my studies of space, atmosphere, architecture and maps, I decompose the subject and its parts and selectively reassemble or isolate those parts into compositions.  I utilize disparate materials such as ink, acrylic, bleach, charcoal, metal and gold leafs, as well as burning tools and techniques, on coarse linen or paper to layer finishes into each painting, creating a unique blend of referential and contemporary styles.  The freedom gained by the use of varied materials is buffeted by the use of extremely coarse, raw grounds, which complicate the process of applying media to the paintings’ surfaces. Due to my process, the demand for precision and foresight is great because nearly every mark is a final mark. Thus, I am consumed by accidents, chance, and calculated attempts to control.

The places portrayed in my paintings are enriched by the totality of their histories including their soot, polish, cracks, and patches and I see my chosen materials as paralleling these qualities. I am interested in creating artworks whose specific compositions are logical assemblies of my memories of locations, works that stand alone and yet, are informed by my research. By altering a literal landscape view, and emphasizing its details, I entice the audience into a more thorough understanding of place as they resolve their affiliation with the subject matter. However, viewers are never invited into my paintings. The distinct lack of human presence within my compositions suggests portraiture of stoic architectural figures. This way of presenting buildings inherently alludes to the subject matter’s stature, thereby evoking desire to further understand its historic significance.

Ultimately, my paintings are private collaborations amongst the materials, the audience and myself.  However, reactions to my work often encourage public discourse. Los Angeles as a culture is of particular interest to me because of its seeming arrogance that continually seeks “improvement” at the expense of its history. Architecture defines neighborhoods and landmarks with which whole communities identify, but Los Angeles has had a great deal of irreverence for the historic qualities of its neighborhoods, a fact evidenced by the city’s particular dearth of monuments. I am involved with organizations dedicated to raising awareness of Los Angele’s history and future, particularly in the downtown area. By humanizing historic architecture I am able to bring awareness to subjects of preservation, impending demolitions, and civic decisions affecting our communities. Painting is my way of expressing my excitement and concern in regards to civic developments, and showing my work serves as a conduit for an invigorating exchange of information.

In my work, I strive to convey the souls of architectures as we have envisioned them, built them, used them and forgotten them. In so doing, I am creating artworks that are relevant and reverent. By reclaiming numerous expressive resources from historic and contemporary art, I strive for a fresh take on painting technique. These formalist pursuits are bolstered by my social, cultural and conceptual inspirations garnered through research and experience. Rendering these ideas into artworks lends conceptual depth to seemingly simple subjects. My goal is to make art that moves beyond being self-indulgent and into being culturally, historically, and socially reverential while rejoicing in our shared desire for beauty.

 

 

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