Description

When walking through my neighborhood my mind is flooded with observations of light as it falls over homes and manicured lawns.  Facades glisten with an intensity and variety of color that illicit a dreamlike state that feels nostalgic and prophetic in the same time.  These suburban streets transport me in time; I close my eyes and memories of backyard barbeques, bike rides, and birthday parties in the garage fill my head.  As the setting sun bathes rooftops in a warm glow I reflect on the idea of the American Dream and wonder if its tenets are based in illusion or reality.   My experiences in the landscape are distilled through photography, which begins my process; photos with dynamic formal qualities are then selected as the foundation of a new painting.  Digital images are then carefully composed and printed to create image transfers over a wood veneer, resulting in an image that appears old and weathered. A layer of graphite is then applied to give definition to the edges of architectural and greenery elements, when the drawing is complete, the surface is then sealed with layers of matt medium.  The painting process begins by adding shapes of flat color followed by careful reflection of the paints interaction with the implied texture and faded color of the image transfer.  The paintings slowly evolve over numerous sessions to create a composition that at a distance looks whole but upon close inspection are defined by flat shapes of color that sit on the surface.   The finished paintings are formally inviting yet unresolved because they acknowledge their own physicality as paint and object.  The visual tension in my paintings reflect the current tension within Contemporary America where families endeavor to transform dreams into reality.  In this way, the paintings act as mirrors meant to evoke the viewer to meditate and reflect on the idea of the American Dream.  Do these works elicit faded memories of the past or do they bolster the ideals of a utopian society.  One wonders if this dream has become manifest or if it represents an unattainable ideal that mutates through the passage of time.