Artist Statement
I generally work within the confines of a series and not on standalone pieces. Each series is treated on a case by case basis. Meaning, any objectives that I’m consciously incorporating into a single artwork tend to stay within the guidelines of the particular series. Ideally, both the medium and the subject matter will serve the idea at hand and operate independently from any style or pattern that may permeate my work as a whole. With every new series, I am in effect only relying on and aiming to create an artist statement that applies then and there.
Having said that, this approach does under scrutiny reveal strands that run across various series. Using satire, setting up scenes of questionable narrative, creating word play and introducing a visual form of onomatopoeia have all been used extensively in developing initial ideas. At the same time, incorporating varying scales, mediums, symbols, multiples, playful imagery and a direct graphic finish has been important in the overall look.
The following are samples of the various statements and tangents that my work has addressed in recent years.
Cloud Conversations (2006-2009)
Although not as overtly political as much of my work in recent years, satire still acted as a propellant in the development of this series.
Until recently, discussing the weather seemed to be attached to the hip of "small talk" and was often a subject matter that people resorted to when they didn't seek any other common ground of discussion. It was a conversation starter without any depth. I wanted to create a body of work that made it difficult for the viewer to engage in this small talk.
"Cloud Conversations" began with the idea of creating landscapes where it was physically impossible for viewers to accurately describe the weather and thus force them into a position of discussing things further. I initially aimed to do this by removing the recognizable cloud formations (indicators of precipitation) and replacing them with meteorological equivalents (symbols) so that the viewer, if inclined to small talk, would not actually be able to describe the weather in my landscapes unless they were meteorologists. This later developed into using symbols, including mathematical, Native American & made-up, that centered around the idea of constancy. These recognized the irony of how a subject matter once limited to small talk has transitioned into serious discussion thanks in part to global warming & climate change...
Speech Bubble (2005)
The simple idea behind this was to alter the shape of a speech bubble so that the shape itself indicates the nature of the conversation. There is no need to fill the bubble with text or even illustrate who is having the conversation.
Commentary (2004)
The idea circulating behind this body of work was that I’d be less cryptic about my subject matter and instead just directly deal with the chips on my shoulder. Each of the pieces in this exhibition does what it says on the label and boldly comments on topical issues, such as the disappearance of the native red squirrel in the Scottish landscape, America’s decision to attack Iraq and the challenge of combining the ideas of evolution and creation.
Missing Verb (2000-2001)
Much of this work developed initially around the idea of treating a painting like a sentence that was being fragmented. By separating the subject matter of the artwork from the direct object with the use of borders and negative space, one (the viewer) was left with a missing verb. In other words, what was actually happening in the depicted scenes remained a mystery. This compartmentalization of areas within the paintings took on the appearance of film stills and the effect simply added to the feeling that there was an unknown narrative running freely.
I generally work within the confines of a series and not on standalone pieces. Each series is treated on a case by case basis. Meaning, any objectives that I’m consciously incorporating into a single artwork tend to stay within the guidelines of the particular series. Ideally, both the medium and the subject matter will serve the idea at hand and operate independently from any style or pattern that may permeate my work as a whole. With every new series, I am in effect only relying on and aiming to create an artist statement that applies then and there.
Having said that, this approach does under scrutiny reveal strands that run across various series. Using satire, setting up scenes of questionable narrative, creating word play and introducing a visual form of onomatopoeia have all been used extensively in developing initial ideas. At the same time, incorporating varying scales, mediums, symbols, multiples, playful imagery and a direct graphic finish has been important in the overall look.
The following are samples of the various statements and tangents that my work has addressed in recent years.
Cloud Conversations (2006-2009)
Although not as overtly political as much of my work in recent years, satire still acted as a propellant in the development of this series.
Until recently, discussing the weather seemed to be attached to the hip of "small talk" and was often a subject matter that people resorted to when they didn't seek any other common ground of discussion. It was a conversation starter without any depth. I wanted to create a body of work that made it difficult for the viewer to engage in this small talk.
"Cloud Conversations" began with the idea of creating landscapes where it was physically impossible for viewers to accurately describe the weather and thus force them into a position of discussing things further. I initially aimed to do this by removing the recognizable cloud formations (indicators of precipitation) and replacing them with meteorological equivalents (symbols) so that the viewer, if inclined to small talk, would not actually be able to describe the weather in my landscapes unless they were meteorologists. This later developed into using symbols, including mathematical, Native American & made-up, that centered around the idea of constancy. These recognized the irony of how a subject matter once limited to small talk has transitioned into serious discussion thanks in part to global warming & climate change...
Speech Bubble (2005)
The simple idea behind this was to alter the shape of a speech bubble so that the shape itself indicates the nature of the conversation. There is no need to fill the bubble with text or even illustrate who is having the conversation.
Commentary (2004)
The idea circulating behind this body of work was that I’d be less cryptic about my subject matter and instead just directly deal with the chips on my shoulder. Each of the pieces in this exhibition does what it says on the label and boldly comments on topical issues, such as the disappearance of the native red squirrel in the Scottish landscape, America’s decision to attack Iraq and the challenge of combining the ideas of evolution and creation.
Missing Verb (2000-2001)
Much of this work developed initially around the idea of treating a painting like a sentence that was being fragmented. By separating the subject matter of the artwork from the direct object with the use of borders and negative space, one (the viewer) was left with a missing verb. In other words, what was actually happening in the depicted scenes remained a mystery. This compartmentalization of areas within the paintings took on the appearance of film stills and the effect simply added to the feeling that there was an unknown narrative running freely.
