The artwork presented here looks to nature and the stories men have written to explain nature for its primary subject matter and conceptual starting points; be it mythological texts or science... the cosmos or the mind. My work attempts to piece together a framework which we can look into and see ourselves looking back.
These paintings are produced with oil paint and egg tempera; a methodology which is utterly of the western painting tradition. Southern European, Flemish and Russian masters provide me my historical lineage; the high and folk art of the world provides general awe and humility. The contemporary artists I respect and reference are multitudes.
There is also a heavy emphasis on experimentation in my work. The experimental process attempts to replicate the primordial Waters of Chaos; raw nature as it was before the notion of ten thousand separated things existed. My desire is to provoke in the viewer a sense of themselves which exists beyond name, position and status; to strip down notions of identity in search of a universal self.
The work is a struggle between these two methodologies which seek equal voice on the canvas. They don't seek balance, they seek conflict. They battle for dominance and each have their victories. For example, The Phosphorus Works is a victory for the experimental methodology. In The Subatomic Wilderness Paintings the traditional approach was dominant and sought the highly processed extreme of Icon painting.
Each Gallery on this site has a brief description directly explaining the series. Thank you very much for visiting and I hope that you enjoy what I have to offer!
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