"Painting has become a metaphor for living life and a
personal way of taking stock in the subtle changes in my attitude about
living.
This search is the subject of my latest works, and has been a common
theme to my paintings over the last 10 years. Formally, these paintings
are comprised of roughly drawn ladders, poles and wires situated in an
empty landscape or undefined space. These objects connect land to sky,
define spatial conflicts and often echo the picture plane with drawn
lines connecting to the sides of the work.
The paintings currently on exhibit illustrate a variety of experiences
or emotions common to people in our culture such as responsibility and
obligation, disappointment, ambition, etc. The drawn and painted forms
are used in combination to symbolize these ideas. For instance, the cloud
and ladder combination describes personal conflict and the futility of
choice.
Conceptually, the dark masses above and below represent
two perspectives about a current situation. These masses hold different
positions
and therefore have a different viewpoint, however, both belong to the
same
landscape and are essentially identical. The ladder represents the
choice to change from one perspective to another…the active force.
The ladder is caught in the illusion of the landscape and accepts the
idea
that the masses are different. The journey on the ladder from one
mass to another reveals their similar nature as well as the futility
of the
ladder itself. Together, the dark masses and the ladder illustrate
the conflict between being content with what you have and the need
to pursue what
are perceived as greener pastures. The physical nature of the painting
as object becomes an ironic two-dimensional illusion representing
a conceptual illusion.
The making of these paintings is a constant physical
reminder to me to stop and assess, to be careful in what I seek, and
to appreciate what
I have available to me now. With this perspective, the act of painting
continues to hold value."
