Through the Parallax
Informed by religion and mythology, these paintings speak to the complexity of the human condition. Starting in the fanciful and idealized world of the mind, each is a cautionary tale of love and power. Yet, the paint is created from something that can be held in my hands. To begin a composition, I start with scissors, clipping fragments, composing from snippets of several hundred pictures scattered about me on the floor. What is created is a prototype collage of layered scraps with cut edges. Some are photographs of me while others are cut up illustrations from art history. Looking at this collage, a painting is executed in a trompe l'oeil manner showing the multiple layers with cut edges which suggest the complexity of individual's psychologies – their masks and their hidden secrets.
By studying with art conservators and looking at the old masters, I choose to revitalize the archaic traditions of both traditional oil painting oil, and egg tempera. As an artist and subject in my work, I consider myself to be the steward and ax man to art's legacy by cutting and serving up the reinvigorated past to be contemplated in context of the contemporary.