representation

these photos are from my diverse body of work spanning the last few years as i've progressed as an artist but more importantly a human being, and i think represents a tension in my psyche manifested through my work, which i am more aware of now than i ever have been..

where do you draw the line?

i feel myself constantly torn between the lush visceral attraction of working representationally.. versus the automatic, unbridled expression that celebrates the material for what it is that is embodied in abstraction.. i think i will continue to blur the line as i explore through this life, looking towards gerhard richter and martin kippinberger for mentors..

HELLO INTERTUBES

It has been quite a while since I've posted. I've since finished the painting that was in progress in the last post, as seen above. I've also done a bunch of other work expounding and exploring subjects of voluntary consciousness-alteration. I grew poppies in my studio which were displayed next to the painting, however I never documented it because I am an idiot. I also started and finished this following painting but never got a finished photo before I dismantled the painting to move it:

This painting was about 6 feet by 4 feet, one day I will re-stretch it but my imagination has since drifted to other topics. While I am still enamored and fascinated by brains and the way reality and its perception can be altered voluntarily/unwittingly through chemicals my new work is a little more preoccupied with the nature of the gaze and the act of looking, a time honored concern of Art with a capital A. I will do my best to keep this more up to date from now on! signing out for today, dear internet.

diary

in progress new painting woot woot

old man leaves

"We're all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing." - bukowski

FEAR @ Work.Detroit ( i am interviewed here, in this clip about a minute into it. i never realized how irritating my voice actually is.) :

the seat of consciousness

I'd like to thank everybody that made it to the closing reception of FEAR.  Work.Detroit is a nice space and  I am glad it exists.  The more galleries in Detroit, the better.  Below is the beginning of a body of work in which I intend to explore the alteration of consciousness through chemical means, i.e. intentionally consuming things derived from natural sources with an intended, reality-altering effect.  These alterations take place, of course, in the brain - the seat of consciousness.  I am fascinated by brains.. their seemingly infinite potential, their crude appearance that is repulsive but at the same time very beautifully intricate, how certain chemicals can affect the way they work and the way we perceive our surroundings.  Anyways, without further pontification, here's the photo of my new painting:

upcoming show: FEAR

"Silkworm" - Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 56"x64"

The above painting, one of my latest, will be on display in an upcoming show being put on by The University of Michigan's Art and Design Gallery.  The following description is from their website:

"FEAR:

Potentially, a new year brings new promise, new resolve, new hope, new vitality.  But it also holds new fears.  Is fear a useful emotion?  Isn't our very survival dependent upon fear?  Keeping us from walking into oncoming traffic, stepping off of rooftops and carelessly handling poisonous snakes.  Is fear as powerful and beneficial a motivating factor as more positive emotions?

What do you fear? What do you think others fear?

What, if anything, should we all fear?

January 10th-February 13th

@ Work.Detroit

3663 Woodward Ave.

Detroit, MI 48201

Closing reception Friday February 13th, 6-9 pm"

GO!