About the Artist
The Process
The Idea:
The Idea for piece may come in a flash or might be drawn out slowly while working. Often the ideas or images are revealed to me during a dream. During the dream the initial vision is usually fleeting, like a glimpse of something at the edge of your vision. Once I have had a glimpse of the image the process begins. Through the creative process I find what I am looking for. I find it in the wood, the shape, the form and the texture. I find it in the color of the paint, the stone and the metal. I find it in all of these things.
The Concept & Composition:
The concept for a piece is multi dimensional as is the composition. Most of my works are created using multiple parts. Often the shapes of individual or multiple pieces or the negative space they create represent a concept. This concept is usually based on cultural or religious symbolisms. The shapes that I chose to paint add to the piece one of the many levels that I have created for the viewer to relate to.
The construction:
Once I have decided on a composition many hours are dedicated to preparing the individual pieces to be painted. Cutting, carving breaking and burning. At this stage I determine how the final piece will be constructed and what the final presentation to the viewer will be.
The Painting:
The painting process is done in stages and is comprised of multiple glazes or layers. I feel the multiple layers and stages that I work in are a metaphor for how we live our lives from the cradle to the grave. Giving the finished piece an additional level to be appreciated by the viewer.
• The first layers (usually 2-3) are quickly put down, random and highly energetic. They are composed of drawings, words, thoughts and symbols often unrelated and purely impulsive. Much as a young child or adolescent is. This stage is totally focused on concept and sets the premise for the work (sometimes totally unrelated to the compositional concept mentioned above).
I see these first layers as being very similar to how our early years define who we are as adults. What I write and draw are usually very personal and I often refer to them as “my little secrets”. Sometimes this layer can be seen through the multiple layers of paint and at other times they are completely obscured. Just as in our own life’s some of our past is best left in the past and some of it continually is with us.
• The middle layers (usually 6-8) are done more slowly and with more thought of the overall composition and less with the concept. These layers are worked with awareness how they are visually relating to the first layers and how they will relate to the final layers.
• The final glazes or layers are usually applied in a slow and deliberate fashion. No longer concerned with composition or the concept of the piece but with how I want the final piece to look.
The Results:
The final result is multiple translucent layers of paint on multiple pieces. The translucent quality of the glazes allows the viewer to experience the various stages and hint at where the work began. This hint at what is beneath added to the multi dimensional composition and the combination of symbolism results in art that creates a relation with the viewer on many levels. What the viewer receives from the piece is dependent on what their own life experiences have been and what they have been exposed to.
