Artist Statement
It has always been part of my process to have bulletin boards in my studio filled with art postcards, announcements, magazine and newspaper photos, as well as lists and notes to myself.
My most recent paintings (bulletin boards with close-ups) begin as random found images. If a particular thread unfolds I will play with various juxtapositions in an attempt to convey a certain theme.
For example, Fleeing The War in Iraq has a newspaper photo of a man sitting in front of a tent with a caption that reads: “Fleeing the war in Iraq to safety in Jordon.” On the same bulletin board is a painting of boxers by George Bellows, a Malevich cross, and a close-up of flowers, all images that could also allude to war.
Remember Emmett Till includes a newspaper photo of Emmett Till, a 14-year- old black boy murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The case was reopened in 2005 and the body of Emmett Till was exhumed in an effort to reach some measure of justice forty-nine years later. On the right side of the diptych is a large black and white painting of traffic markings (right turn only). This image comes from a series of Polaroids by Walker Evans taken in 1973. “ONLY” could read as a metaphor for exclusivity in our society i.e.: males only, whites only, rich only, etc.
My most recent paintings (bulletin boards with close-ups) begin as random found images. If a particular thread unfolds I will play with various juxtapositions in an attempt to convey a certain theme.
For example, Fleeing The War in Iraq has a newspaper photo of a man sitting in front of a tent with a caption that reads: “Fleeing the war in Iraq to safety in Jordon.” On the same bulletin board is a painting of boxers by George Bellows, a Malevich cross, and a close-up of flowers, all images that could also allude to war.
Remember Emmett Till includes a newspaper photo of Emmett Till, a 14-year- old black boy murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The case was reopened in 2005 and the body of Emmett Till was exhumed in an effort to reach some measure of justice forty-nine years later. On the right side of the diptych is a large black and white painting of traffic markings (right turn only). This image comes from a series of Polaroids by Walker Evans taken in 1973. “ONLY” could read as a metaphor for exclusivity in our society i.e.: males only, whites only, rich only, etc.
