This body of work is a collection of scenes and experiences from my life. These paintings and drawings are direct reflections of things I have seen and experienced in my life over the past 20 years. This is a photo album of memories, thoughts, ideas, and reactions to love, loss, and solitude. Some of the paintings are about ideas I have held for many years about life, society, and where I fit. Others are reflections of more current events. As I’ve grown and learned as a painter, my mission has remained the same. I am working to document my life events and the philosophies I have gathered along the way; to somehow share my humanity with the world. Hopefully the viewer can see some of their own humanity in my work.
One major theme that has been put to paint is that of loss. My mother passed away in 2007 just as I was at the beginning of my career as a professional painter. I lost a number of friends and family members in the few years prior to that. One year, I attended eleven funerals in nine months. Another theme is solitude or alone-ness. By this I don’t mean loneliness or longing, but the idea of being by oneself on purpose. Many things can come from being alone with your thoughts- solutions, problems, strength, weakness, brilliance, desperation, peace, and war. Both the good and the bad are keys to the importance of being by yourself. You find out more of who you are and your potential if you choose to look deeper at yourself when no one else is around. It can be terrifying and enlightening at the same time.
Each piece in this show has a specific meaning to me as the artist. I intentionally leave the narrative up to the viewer’s interpretation. The title is often suggestive to play along with this idea. I prefer to keep the image and title open ended. This invites a different interaction with the work. It allows the viewer to ask questions of the work or of themselves. It requires the viewer to look deeper into the painting to find the answer to questions raised by the work. This is often different for each person, as it should be. It’s not always about one clear cut idea, a pretty image, or a shiny thing to look at. Painting, like life, is messy, difficult, and full of moving parts. Ultimately, I’m aiming to speak to the universalities of being human today. There are many ways to see the world around us. My work shows you what I have seen.
