Two new works of gouache and ink on wood.
The first piece, “Once titled” earned a juror’s award at the Door County Young Artist show. More work to come soon, as well as a place to purchase online.
posting a few paintings in progress, just to see the transformation/changes/screw-ups. one of some dude laying in the snow, not sure what he’s up, and then my free ghost of an old, happy man. the teeth are gold-leafed, the background was a gamble and still have to work it out. thinking about some fumage, or smoke painting, to get some interesting background textures.
This is from my BFA senior project. In all it consisted of 4 six foot panels of monks & blossoms. Studying zen painting that year, I tried to capture that attack style to the panel, spontaneous looking and without holding back. For the skin, I returned to the Flemish style I am used to painting in. This piece, “Tulpa”, is the Tibetan name for a metaphysical being. Each monk was blossoming with a flower commonly associated with vegetables, squash, tomato, potato, and persimmon (which isn’t so vegetabley). Trying to investigate the aspects of masculinity that are not in the forefront: steadfastness, creation, discipline, fragility of ego, I wanted to bring these flowers that had masculinity, if possible! Release!
I think one of the spurning ideas in this project was Leonard Cohen’s poem “I heard of a man…” Though I think I just wrote one line down and ran with it. The line, silence blossoms like tumors on our lips. Here’s the whole poem:
I heard of a man
who says words so beautifully
that if he only speaks their name
women give themselves to him.
If I am dumb beside your body
while silence blossoms like tumors on our lips.
it is because I hear a man climb stairs and clear his throat outside the door.
-Leonard Cohen, from “Let Us Compare Mythologies”
In junction with the 4 large paintings, I made a short film/animation called, “The Monk and the Outlaw” where I played two sides of a man, and shaved my head for the second role!
Last winter, I had a lot of time — I picked up the fiddle, and I started this series of figures, simple, light gouche washes, and black ink. I liked the way it looks, clearer than painting I’m used to, and the style still pervades some of my work. The paper I still use, Rives BFK paper, is so tactile and comforting (although unforgiving if you need to erase).
The first piece came about in concert with me picking up the fiddle. I had been reading about the late violinist Josef Hassid, who was a child prodigy in the 1930′s. He only made nine recorded pieces, played for the Queen at 15, and suffered a memory lapse mid-performance. At 18, he underwent a complete mental breakdown, and spent time in and out of the asylum until he died resulting from a lobotomy at the age of 26. Being 26 last winter, I had to make some parables. I was listening to a lot of violin music while drawing this semi-self/josef portrait, Paganini, Bach, Schubert, Andrew Bird, as well as a lot of Handsome Family, hence the blackbird whispering “goodbye”.
Looking back at artwork, you can start to tell why you made it, because you don’t really know when you are in the act of making it, at least I don’t! This one also is tied to aging. Beyond that, I just like the image, and the “equation of insignificance” I call it.
Life = x/∞
This became what mark-making can often become, meditation. An exercise in detail, but keeping it simple, keeping my mind occupied and body warm. Music also influenced this work. Listening to the Frames more than humanly possible for the week of painting this.
This guy pops up time and time again in my sketchbooks. Cane hat, bad hair, over-bite, slack, slumped, Striped or flannel shirt buttoned to the top. Sometimes rocks a bolo tie. He’s even turned up with gold teeth. Speaking in pigeon-english, he recites the spiritual in my head—
- On my knees when the light pass’d by,
- I thank God I’m free at last,
- Thought my soul would rise and fly,
- I thank God I’m free at last,
- Some of these mornings, bright and fair,
- I thank God I’m free at last,
- Goin’ meet King Jesus in the air,
- I thank God I’m free at last!
I think he is a simple being, with nothing but freedom. No ego. No past. No anxiety. Just a little love and a song to sing in my head.
This is another piece from years past — “44 Sunsets”. The character is a man from Goa, and I had been re-reading “the Little Prince”, and one chapter caught me. At one planet, the Prince was talking to a man who, quite unlike the Prince, was saddened when he saw the sunset, and on one occasion, since his planet was so small, sat and watched 44 sunsets in a row. B-612 floats in his mind, home, as he sits with a sunset always on his wall.
This was one of the last in a series of split-panel paintings, inspired by Kurt Halsey’s work, at the time, but using my portraiture style.
Seems as good a place as any to hang my work and talk about them.
“Dalila” from about three years ago, I am still proud of this one. Started as a small study:
I was reading Robert Pirsig’s “Lila” at the time, which dealt with mental illness and its role in a person’s life, be it short-term or permanent and how mental breakdown’s can be a positive thing, at least in an escape from a mental situation that someone has been entrenched. They come out, or not. I don’t know where they go, or how it straightens things out, but at the time a beautiful friend of mine had a breakdown, and she was changed. Walked away from the green sun of creative awareness, but still went on to find happiness. The cutting of hair, the loss of tresses, was also a subject in her paintings.
