artist statement
In New Bedford I’ve been painting what I know and what I see. It’s not journalistic because I’m not interested in facts. I’m interesting the emotional frankness of the ordinary—hopefully audiences will understand it this way.
Like other contemporary artists I inspect the commonplace for traces of evidence. Evidence of honesty, light, hypocrisy, what-have-you. My specific interest, however, is in what we leave behind; what we’ve made in the flurry of self-importance, and what’s left over when the moment is gone.
We work hard to make and unmake the world and there is pathos even in the grandest efforts. There is also beauty in the aspiration and the geometry. By celebrating what remains we’re ultimately celebrating our own personal histories-- art about traces and relics elevates who we are. All these things meant something once; by looking we ask 'what can they mean again?'
This perspective makes the waste of modern living easier to deal with. It also can make the value of our past experiences more evident.
I’m inspired by evidence and brevity.