Artist Statement

I’m not a painter…

In spite of the fact that you are viewing many of my works, which are primarily created using oil paints, I don’t consider myself a painter. I think of myself as a communicator, like a speechwriter, newspaper reporter, orator, or even in some aspects, a politician. I compose my ideas and try to present them in a manner that others can experience the way I feel while creating the composition. But where a speechwriter or reporter uses words to ply their trade, I am an artist, therefore I use the language of imagery to state my feelings and opinions. This imagery may vary from photography, to painting with realism, to figurative abstract, or even involve elements of found-object collage and assemblage. It may also vary from simple emotions like joy and contentment to more complex feelings such as fear, love and sadness. It is the process of communicating my ideas that is important more than the media used. In fact, it is the creative process of the communication that is important to me. While I am working on a piece, I am emotionally tied to it to the point of distraction. It becomes the sole focus of what I am doing. However, when I bring a piece to completion, the emotional attachment dissolves. I don’t feel the post partum effect that some artists talk about as much as I feel as though I’ve committed a captured moment of my essence and released it to the ether. The way a spoken word floats ever outward into space.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

New Art! Noble Peace Price

Noble Peace Price
Oil on Canvas
15 x 30 inches 2008

This piece was created to further reinforce the imagery which shows that peace is often purchased with blood. I wanted to reference the war posters of the 1960's and 70's in a way that was, at once, direct. But at the same time, I wanted to leave no doubt that this image is from the present day. I try to accomplish this with the retro floral motif but with a modified color palette that would be different from the popular color schemes of 40 years ago.

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