Artist Statement
I’ve wanted to be an artist ever since my little brother drew a better Santa Claus from a Coca Cola ad. He still draws very well and we no longer compete.
My work mostly begins with an idea, a complaint, a want, a need to get hold of an issue or challenge I can translate from thought to image. Those ideas often reflect something hidden. The most subservient act for me or my siblings was to talk about what wasn’t discussed. With my art I realize what is felt but kept from view. Invariably that goal includes some social commentary. Here are some examples from my work-
““The most subservient act for me or my siblings was to talk about what wasn’t discussed””
Gun violence and how to prevent it is one of the most contentious issues of the day but designers have been very successful creating handguns that beg to be touched and held. Can sterilizing handguns of lethality impart dignity and preserve their beauty? Is this the look of compromise? More
Snapshots are commonly understood to be amateur efforts at documenting significant family events. Snapshots are also evidence of family values: the props, setting and scene are conscious or subconscious choices of the photographer. The photographer dignifies and endorses those elements as honorable by their inclusion in the image. How do snapshots reinforce surreptitious family values? More
The roles boys are offered at birth often resemble crowns or baby bonnets. Some, but not all boys leave those behind as they mature. Role templates for men are mostly gross symbols not complex enough for the level of consciousness post modern life requires. Do men prefer male identities that are caricatures rather than complex armatures? More
My first career out of college was journalism. The need to research and investigate has carried over into my art as has an interest in edgy humor. What could be funnier than a crown that no longer fits, a gun that can’t work or snapshots that give away the family secrets?