"Gilded," 2015
Pricing upon request
Drawing inspiration from themes I have played off in past works — light and dark, love and lust, absolutes and infinites — my ongoing and current collection expands on these ideas while simultaneously exploring our pasts and the cyclical nature of existence. In each composition, the subject matter draws from period past -- Olivia's eyes, anatomical hearts and skulls -- created using lines and orbs of black or white, light and dark, on and off, open and closed. But while the aesthetic emulates the great illustrators and engravings from the late 17th century onward, the compositions address social issues that parallel our society today. By giving these seemingly familiar images new connotation, I bring forward that uneasiness and comfort that comes from feeling of "we've been here before." This familiarity allows the viewer to feel safe while confronting their own consciousness.
I've always been fascinated with sociology and psychology; nature or nurture, and how influencers in society have framed our perceptions. I intentionally try not to impart my own feelings onto my work, but rather try to encourage observers to form their own interpretations and conclusions. "Why do we believe what we believe?" That question should be the first thing you think of when you look at my work.
The title of the collection, "Gilded," is in reference to the period that my artistic style is derived from: the Gilded Age, which was introduced by Mark Twain in his book "The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) to comment on an era of serious social problems masked by a thin gold gilding. One only needs to tune in to see that what was relevant then is still relevant today; the play and characters are the same, yet the actors are different. Are our perceptions and truths universal or relative? My paintings do not attempt to answer any questions, only to ask them.