My career goal is a perfect, timeless painting. Taking from the Montreal Automatistes and the COBRA movement, I paint out abstracted emotion on canvas, turning to formalism only when emotion is exhausted, and the painting must be finished.
I am a slow painter, suspicious if a painting comes too quickly. My subconscious slows the process between impulse and action; I repeatedly paint over paintings, resulting in a thick, textured surface.
Enclaved Subjectivity, 2013, oil on canvas
My inspirations include looking at all genres and generations of art; nature, from the Dakota prairies of my childhood to the Maine coast; and reading philosophy, social criticism, theology and poetry.
Bunganuc series 5, 2016 oil on board, 16×12″
Finishing a perfect painting is like being in a friction-loaded liminal state, seeking utopia in an increasingly dystopian society. My perfect painting is elusive—as life, current events, and vision are ever-moving targets, my paintings are ever-evolving, guided by dialectic thinking and Ricoeur’s theory on Time and Narrative.
Artist Statement: extended
Art reflects the zeitgeist, fashion, and trends of culture, but if it is limited by those categories alone, art and the artists who create it will achieve, at best, a temporary relevance in their time. My career goal is a perfect, timeless, and relevant painting—yes, I am only asking for one. Taking from the Montreal Automatistes and the COBRA movement, I paint out abstracted emotion on canvas, turning to formalism only when emotion is exhausted, and the painting must be finished.
A Gush of Jung, 2013, oil on canvas, 5X4
The content of my paintings is informed by art history, with the addition of my own thoughts, and manner of expression. I am a voracious reader in the subjects of philosophy, social criticism, theology and poetry—and while I don’t believe philosophy in itself is a subject of painting, what I read does feed my creativity and how I view formal relations in painting.
As life, current events, and vision are ever-moving targets, my paintings are ever-evolving, influenced by the dialectic/mystic thinking of Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project and Ricoeur’s theory on Time and Narrative. Ricoeur’s principle that Time is subjective, according to the importance attributed to events that happen in it, and Narrative chooses to put emphasis on different points in time, which is not a neutral series of abstract instants, has been transformative for my painting philosophy.
Poetry, though, is the only way to describe a painting and my paintings remain untitled until I can find the proper words. The first poets I discovered and those that I constantly return to are, Ferlinghetti, Philip Levine, and John Ashbery. Nature and landscape are also a constant influence, from the Dakota prairies of my childhood to the Maine coast where I now reside. Branches, leaves, and other found objects are often reflected on my canvases.
I chose the European model of painting on canvas because it is grounded in history, and the possibilities are open-ended for future development. I am a slow painter, suspicious if a painting comes too quickly. A painting that I have worked on for months, or even years developing several layers may be completely be obscured by the time it is finished. The subjective events that happened in its development in the end become objective as I decide what to keep, or not, leading to a thickly textured completed work.
The Spacious Firmament – oil – 2012 – 4×5’
In 2005 my life was altered dramatically due to a diagnosis of Lymes disease, now considered a chronic illness. The various symptoms caused me to change how I approach painting. The limited hours of activity pushed me to develop a style that is more immediate, relying on the language of paint and my skill as a painter. However, the illness has propelled me closer to developing a looser, more immediate style of painting I have always admired—that of Jorn, Alchinsky, and Appel, followed by Per Kirkeby, Kehnet Nielson, and Troels Worsel. Living with a chronic illness, despite the pitfalls, has pushed the content and style of my current work, and deepened my resolve as an artist.
Finishing a perfect, relevant and timeless painting is like being in a friction-loaded liminal state, seeking utopia in an increasingly dystopian society. I am always looking, always reading, and always painting. I hope to create work that will transcend the trends and fashions of today, and remain relevant to future audiences.
Artist statements
Artist Statement: brief
My career goal is a perfect, timeless painting. Taking from the Montreal Automatistes and the COBRA movement, I paint out abstracted emotion on canvas, turning to formalism only when emotion is exhausted, and the painting must be finished.
I am a slow painter, suspicious if a painting comes too quickly. My subconscious slows the process between impulse and action; I repeatedly paint over paintings, resulting in a thick, textured surface.
Enclaved Subjectivity, 2013, oil on canvas
My inspirations include looking at all genres and generations of art; nature, from the Dakota prairies of my childhood to the Maine coast; and reading philosophy, social criticism, theology and poetry.
Bunganuc series 5, 2016 oil on board, 16×12″
Finishing a perfect painting is like being in a friction-loaded liminal state, seeking utopia in an increasingly dystopian society. My perfect painting is elusive—as life, current events, and vision are ever-moving targets, my paintings are ever-evolving, guided by dialectic thinking and Ricoeur’s theory on Time and Narrative.
Artist Statement: extended
Art reflects the zeitgeist, fashion, and trends of culture, but if it is limited by those categories alone, art and the artists who create it will achieve, at best, a temporary relevance in their time. My career goal is a perfect, timeless, and relevant painting—yes, I am only asking for one. Taking from the Montreal Automatistes and the COBRA movement, I paint out abstracted emotion on canvas, turning to formalism only when emotion is exhausted, and the painting must be finished.
A Gush of Jung, 2013, oil on canvas, 5X4
The content of my paintings is informed by art history, with the addition of my own thoughts, and manner of expression. I am a voracious reader in the subjects of philosophy, social criticism, theology and poetry—and while I don’t believe philosophy in itself is a subject of painting, what I read does feed my creativity and how I view formal relations in painting.
As life, current events, and vision are ever-moving targets, my paintings are ever-evolving, influenced by the dialectic/mystic thinking of Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project and Ricoeur’s theory on Time and Narrative. Ricoeur’s principle that Time is subjective, according to the importance attributed to events that happen in it, and Narrative chooses to put emphasis on different points in time, which is not a neutral series of abstract instants, has been transformative for my painting philosophy.
Poetry, though, is the only way to describe a painting and my paintings remain untitled until I can find the proper words. The first poets I discovered and those that I constantly return to are, Ferlinghetti, Philip Levine, and John Ashbery. Nature and landscape are also a constant influence, from the Dakota prairies of my childhood to the Maine coast where I now reside. Branches, leaves, and other found objects are often reflected on my canvases.
I chose the European model of painting on canvas because it is grounded in history, and the possibilities are open-ended for future development. I am a slow painter, suspicious if a painting comes too quickly. A painting that I have worked on for months, or even years developing several layers may be completely be obscured by the time it is finished. The subjective events that happened in its development in the end become objective as I decide what to keep, or not, leading to a thickly textured completed work.
The Spacious Firmament – oil – 2012 – 4×5’
In 2005 my life was altered dramatically due to a diagnosis of Lymes disease, now considered a chronic illness. The various symptoms caused me to change how I approach painting. The limited hours of activity pushed me to develop a style that is more immediate, relying on the language of paint and my skill as a painter. However, the illness has propelled me closer to developing a looser, more immediate style of painting I have always admired—that of Jorn, Alchinsky, and Appel, followed by Per Kirkeby, Kehnet Nielson, and Troels Worsel. Living with a chronic illness, despite the pitfalls, has pushed the content and style of my current work, and deepened my resolve as an artist.
Finishing a perfect, relevant and timeless painting is like being in a friction-loaded liminal state, seeking utopia in an increasingly dystopian society. I am always looking, always reading, and always painting. I hope to create work that will transcend the trends and fashions of today, and remain relevant to future audiences.