SERIES STATEMENT

In light of multiple shocks in the last decade to American over self-confidence (i.e., 9-11, failure of federal disaster services, the overwhelming national debt, toxic partisan politics, severe economic recession, religio-politics, engagement in open-ended or non-winnable wars… ), I felt compelled to return to art in the role of socio-political commentator. The G.O.D. series is a result, an acronym for Gulf Oil Disaster.

Also related: my lifetime oeuvre contains an ongoing engagement with animals and animal metaphor with a few exceptions (the [human] eye portraits, 2002-06). I confess: the internet onslaught of horrific photographs chronicling the ecological effects from the April BP oil rig explosion sparked the passion necessary for this series of artworks. As the titles of the G.O.D. works indicate, I firmly believe we have received a wake-up, now-or-never call for change, from the way we conduct our daily lives to our political choices. I have purposely inserted an apocalyptic tone to the series. I consider the earliest works to be more literal (and somewhat therapeutic for me, i.e. Homeless) with later pieces searching for more layered, content-rich metaphors, ironies and emotional nuances that give the viewer greater opportunity to participate in the piece (i.e., Plume, Pinup).

I have also enjoyed combining the ancient painting media of encaustic with cutting-edge digital collage, learning to archivally incorporate digitally printed images as a base and a kind of template from which to begin spontaneous interplay of mixed painting and drawing media. Integration is the challenge and goal of the actual painting process.