Last Semester was a time of self reflection. I dove into the deep waters of self, faced a somewhat sketchy past and successfully entered a new level of technical diversity. My notion was to explore the idea of “painting as installation.” This idea was sparked after informative meetings with artists, Donald Moffett and Tom Burckhardt, who have left the safety of the gallery wall in favor of transforming painting into three dimensional, sculptural objects -- and quite recently, artist and educator: Thomas Macaulay. His work is very close to where my head is going.

(I am super excited to have stumbled across him, FYI)

This semester, I am teaming up with Chris Yates to really push this concept by taking an existing painting of mine and blowing it apart into a sculptural installation that could be viewed, in one way (from a certain vista) as a two dimensional panel but in actuality, be an environment that a viewer can walk into and observe from multiple angles; from within.

My focus will be mostly on form, as I am venturing into uncharted territory, but will keep a theme of “duality” threaded through what I hope will be a number of machetes – studies – which will be used to inform my work as it crosses over into it's newest phase.

My work has always drawn heavily from impressionistic ideology, poster art and advertising media. It's an aesthetic I will continue to employ, for it is now, as it has always been, my primary tool for communication. My goal as an artist is to strive for some level of visual articulation so as to potentially extend the arc of my narrative as far and as wide as is possible so that I can engage as many viewers as possible.

Yes, this is in direct contrast to what appears to be the current ephemeral trend of high concept art that seemingly sets out to perplex and alienate the viewer, but truly, why take the time to speak if no one can hear you? I feel that if art is to move forward, it needs to step away from academia and back into some of its traditions. There are stories that need to be told and histories that demand representation. It's time to stop fucking around and get back to work.

Therefore, my plan – for this next semester, is to explore newer communication by revisiting some old techniques and ideas.

...