Artist's Statement

Professional Goal

To produce work that individual clients, galleries, and museums consider important.  Not just for its market value but for how it provokes, a nontraditional sense of provocation.  I want to entertain, intrigue, enlighten and inform.  I deal in reality, not the abstracted because I think the world as is offers much inspiration.  Henry James wrote, “It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance.”  If my art can claim just one of the three, I will consider myself a success.

Artist Statement
“Keeper Series”

I don’t want to reveal everything about these mixed media artifacts of past and future, however  I will tell you this. There are two important explanations and the first one is that they are based on the behind the scenes person that we can all count on.

She’s a “Keeper” is my code and acronym for anyone’s muse. Through her I am able to revisit older recollections of past and future that need examining and their unintentional perceptions changed.
The second explanation within the “Keeper” series is that moments in time can have status and that status can be elevated.  These works are my rebranding and redefining of those private moments through visually painted rewrites, and collaged elements.

These mixed media paintings are seductive remnants and sculptural documents that you can not ignore and though I deplore our Hollywood-Wall Street Caste system  I do believe in exposing our everyday voyeuristic tendency towards secrets and storytelling.

Additionally Speaking…

Who are we? As an artist what role do I have to play in all of this? These are the questions that I ask myself everyday as I read the newspaper and scour the magazines and the internet for society’s detritus from which I get inspiration. The human condition plays itself out in my imagination, in my sketchbooks, and in my created pieces.

An earlier career in advertising has led me towards creating paintings and sculptures, that are narratives of collected and often figurative materials, and sometimes I’m even trying to sell you a bill of goods. My art is really serious business with a sense of humor. I freely pull from a myriad of sources that span the cultural spectrum, and I’m often tackling the differences between men and women, religion, film, music, sexuality, infidelity, and American machismo.

Occasionally I repeat elements or imagery for cadence or reinvestigation. The graphic image of a man and a woman kissing, that I fondly refer to as “The Royals” is another perfect example of my continuing societal commentary of who we are. We do not have real “Royalty” in this culture, and sometimes I wonder just who are our heroes, Kings, and Queens. Our tabloid culture sets the standards for our comedy meets tragedy lifestyles, and this is where I find my rub. I really want you to notice the color, the pageantry, and the beauty that is hidden sometimes beneath the ugliness around us.

I present for you this beautiful confusion with nostalgic wisdom, wit, desire, paint, clay, wood, and often with pithy quotes for all of us to ponder.

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**above work:
Poker Game, 52″ x 48″ x 8″ – A Wall Sculpture; wood, polychromed clay
Pretty Ugly,  20″ x 40″ – Painting on wood, hadmade clay flowers, gemstones, resin, spray paint