Artist Statement - 2009
I find the modern cacophony of 24/7 media bombardment oppressive. Our modern American society is provided a steady mental diet of endless war, homophobia, racism, child abduction, torture and political hypocrisy, to name a few. As an artist, I need to find solace from the angst this din of horror causes me, while at times I find the need to scream back with cathartic rage. It is this need of solace and reflection, as well as this desire of protest that drives my current body of work, which I would label "Reflect" and "Shout.""Reflect"
As a means of solace and reflection, a large portion of my work deals with universal visual themes, including line, shape, form and color. The "clx" and "olx" series of abstract drawings and paintings are created from the two-dimensional sculpting of form from chaotic intersections of primary shapes, reflecting my need to create cohesion out of the everyday din we are all confronted with. The resulting pieces are meant as visual meditation. It is my hope that when one views the work from this series, that they will be able to enter a place of reflection and visual spectacle that will drown out the cacophony all around. I think in our current society of proliferating spectacles, that this can be one of the most useful results of two-dimensional media.
A third series I would include in this category is currently evolving. With the "spaces" series of drawings and paintings, I am interested in exploring the ideas of three-dimensional illusion in two-dimensional space; partly for pure visual spectacle, but also for more conceptual purposes. I see the use of spaces and architectural elements as reflections of past experiences and stages in life; we evolve but our past remains in locations. Often highways and bridges appear in these pieces; I don’t know what the subconscious motivation for these elements in the work is at this time, but I know that I am drawn to depict them.
"Shout"
"Shout" is a smaller, yet much more overt and confrontational body of work. At times the need to react to the everyday injustices I see and experience in the world take hold of me and I will utilize whatever medium I find appropriate to facilitate my protest. Whether the effect of this art can tangibly change the world is unclear, but I know it is important to me to create. In the recent past, I have employed the mediums of photography, sculpture and installation to facilitate my artistic goals. The pieces "Manifesto 2008" and "Cake Party" are two examples of disparate mediums being used for the purposes of exploring this need to shout out. In the future, this body of work will remain an important piece of my practice.
Final Thoughts
It is my goal to keep evolving as an artist, to create large works that overwhelm the senses, as well as smaller pieces that require a bit of intimacy to experience. Whether working in the realm of abstraction or overt agitprop, my work will continue to explore the themes that are important to me as I grow and learn for the rest of my life.
About Me
I was born and raised in North Carolina, and have lived in southern California since 1999.I am currently earning a B.A. in Studio Art at the University of California, Irvine, which I hope to complete by Spring 2010.
After completion of the second B.A. degree, it is my goal to move into an M.F.A. program in Visual Art.