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My continued fascination with all things nocturnal stems from many sources; the most obvious for me is the evocative quality of nighttime. Although my work has an almost nostalgic quality, the use of night totally changes the context of any memories or associations the viewer might have. Having something that seems familiar in the context of night alters perceptions and makes emotional responses more profound. This "quality", for lack of a better term, can be anywhere from serene to somewhat menacing. These inherent emotions are affected as much by what the viewer brings to the piece, as they are by what my intentions were. Both viewpoints may be equally valid from my particular viewpoint. The other theme present in my work, roads, has a fairly broad range of "gradations" as well. Roads, highways, streets: all of these and more work as obvious metaphors for a series of themes and emotions. The pathway to enlightenment, the highway to hell, the road not taken: examples of the votive values we ascribe to these objects that tie us all together. The lore and legend of the "open road" has seminally influenced the development of our society. Much like the sentimental ideals of the cowboy era, the nostalgia of the freedom of the open road is an idealized perception of reality. This "idealized view" carries a preformed perception that is strongly associated with the western part of the USA. This modern mythology, in large part, "drives" my work. Things are spaced pretty far apart in Taos, NM and I get to see a never-ending panorama of subject matter. The final, and probably most
important, aspect of my work is that of the aesthetic. In an
age where many artists illicit emotional responses through techniques
such as shock-value, I and many other artists choose to pursue
the "dead-art" of painting. With so much bombarding
us in our "modern" society we seldom give ourselves
license to let our minds wander. I hope that my work serves as
a catalyst for the viewer. If my work can serve as a visual trigger
for someone to do a bit of healthy daydreaming, I have achieved
my desired affect. |