Large Format Acrylic
Balagan (diptych 36" X 72")
Balagan
Is an ancient word of unclear origins. A modern translation is "Fiasco."
17,000 year old cave art in Lascaux was my inspiration - also the Werner Herzog documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams." I wondered about the lives of these cave artists, about their motivations...is it a message they were leaving? I imagined this cave art was intended to "we were here, we existed, hello."
Balagan is my imagining of some future people escaping tragic circumstances to live in a last cave habit. What story would they tell?
Balagan considers the message content our cave-dwelling decedents might leave. I think it would be a story of the rise and fall of humanity, including the fiasco of events leading to our demise. The richly layered surface recreates a cave surface while figures and symbols mimic cave-art language. The bottom left corner shows human evolution from primate to weapon firing soldier - the bottom right corner shows our de-evolution to primate including to a religious dark age we once escaped. The upper top left shows a bird gliding, becoming an airliner, which then becomes a fighter jet. In the he lower centre there is a hand (bar coded) reaching for music notation while pointing to the Kanji ideogram for "music." (the Kanji symbolizes the rise and influence of Asian peoples) The right panel describes climate change - (an Inuksuk beside a palm tree) - industrial pollution, religious extremism, the statue of "liberty" presenting an automatic weapon. The upper right shows the international symbol for radiation alert.
Thus is the story of Balagan, a visual imagining of a scenario which is nothing less than a fiasco. Can this scenario be avoided?
The Journey Home (24" X 36")
The Journey Home
Considers the idea of "home" - the leaving, the journeying, perhaps arriving home again. As we go forward in time, maybe to distant lands, to build a new home, discovering that we are home again. I am always exploring this idea of home. I am reminded of a poem by the Nobel laureate artist and polymath Rabindranath Tagore: "Journey Home"
The time that my journey takes is long and the way of it long.
I came out on the chariot of the first gleam of light, and pursued my voyage through the wildernesses of worlds leaving my track on many a star and planet.
It is the most distant course that comes nearest to thyself, and that training is the most intricate which leads to the utter simplicity of a tune.
The traveler has to knock at every alien door to come to his own, and one has to wander through all the outer worlds to reach the innermost shrine at the end.
My eyes strayed far and wide before I shut them and said ' Here art thou!'
The question and the cry ' Oh, where?’ melt into tears of a thousand streams and deluge the world with the flood of the assurance ' I am!’
Mother and Child in Park (30" X 24")
Mother and Child in Park
Reveals shimmering figures alive with movement and emotion, a dramatic human bonding between mother, child, and nature, as if each of those ideas are joined as one. The richly layered glass effect allows the viewer to see deeply an imagined story of human connection and origin.
Garden Love (48" X 48")
Garden Love
Two figures floating as if merged within a lush natural environment while involved in a quiet private emotional exchange suggesting a deep emotional connection...perhaps love? (only they or the viewer can know for sure)
Water Music (36" X 24")
Water Music
Among my favorite classical works is Handel's Water Music. His music rang in my imagination while I worked. This unusual figure appeared, seemingly dissolving into the water? This manifestation is in part a metaphor of our connection to the earth, especially to water, we are composed mostly of water, our lives would be impossible without water. The dissolving quality can suggest our own natural processes, that we exist because of water, and will return to water recycled back to the soil.
HighWire (36" X 36")
HighWire
Suggests aspects of our existence, a metaphor about the precarious nature of our (often unbalanced) existence, as if we are in a dangerous performance - falling is always a possible danger. Balance occupies our thoughts and forcing us to be focused, to concentrate on navigating the danger all around us. Accompanying figures on our journeys play supporting roles, as our guides, mentors, teachers, caregivers - sometimes simply light our way as the floating figure holding the candle suggests. Why not move through life in style, and sometimes even holding flowers!
The Glass Menagerie (36" X 48")
The Glass Menagerie
The ground breaking Tennessee Williams play, popped into my mind as this painting progressed.
Williams play expressed a theme of illusions - two dimensional paintings are Cleary illusions. These three figures came to life somehow as if wanting to exist but trapped in an acrylic glass-like world. They are somehow alive with individual personalities, engaged in a drama of their own. The meaning of their story is mysterious to me as I am their muse bringing them to life in our world - but surely a viewer might have an understanding of the "denouement" that is personal and meaningful.
I am always prepared to manifest these sometimes surreal images and stories with no judgement, in acceptance that I am not often in complete control. I am not too proud to admit that a controlled planned acrylic orchestration such as this is not within my command.
The Migrants (36" X 36")
The Migrants
In my travels I have been witness to so much human drama. The sometimes tragic nature of migration, the lives of migrants, always weighs heavily on my mind. There are so many "tribal" communities in SE Asia which have lived for centuries on land that has been carved up and divided by artificial national borders.
In-migration (process of people moving into a new area) and out-migration (the process of people moving out of an area) is a reality of human existence and among the greatest sources of conflict, violence, and human suffering - almost to no end. Perhaps this aspect of human suffering will be one day be peacefully resolved? The three figures portrayed appear very languid and spiritless.
The Majestic (36" X 48")
The Majestic
Expresses to my me: joy, movement, the "juicy" richness of life when it is at its best. The word "majestic" is a most cherished word for me - I hope it is an experience many have the opportunity to feel and experience to balance against the inevitable moments where existence is less than "majestic."
Into the Wild (36" X 36")
Into the Wild
As a person who has explored the "wild" (and the dangers of wild places) I try to express a moment of trepidation and anxiousness that accompanies that singular and lonely experience that is among the great opportunities for self discovery and learning.
Heartland (36" X 36")
Heartland
Is there any picture that can represent all that "heartland" can mean? Although I explore this theme, my conclusion is that it has such deep meaning that no singular work of art could truly capture this idea of "heartland" (nevertheless I try)
The Mighty and the Fallen (48" X 48")
The Mighty and the Fallen
I am interested in the idea that there are those who are "fallen" and those who fate has delivered them a more "mighty" existence. Here my thought is those towering people of strength will reach out to lend support those in need. The mighty and fallen are walk among us, although it is not always obvious who is who.
The Park Bench (36" X 48")
The Park Bench
A surreal presentation where figures meet, with stories buried beneath the surface of their lives.
Into the Mystic (36" X 48")
Into the Mystic
These figures move within a "mystic" life where existence is deeply personal and separate, and above all else a journey of mystery with a destination that is perhaps "mystical."
Transiting (36" X 48")
Transiting
A statement about transiting from one life to another.
The Dancer in Green (36" X 36")
The Dancer in Green
Life is often a dance, choreographed or not, full of drama and expression.
The Flower Arrangers (36" X 36")
The Flower Arrangers
These mystical creatures, exist in a midsummer night's dreamish "fairy-like" atmosphere of fun weaving their floral magic.
The March of Time (48" X 36")
The March of Time
A statement about aging, that time is always marching forward, it does not wait or pause, and that as time marches forward we must follow a reality of processes of birth, life, death.
Within the Rose of Time (36" X 36")
Within the Rose of Time
There are always moments in life where we can say (or look back upon) this moment is like a rose in full bloom - it will not last and cannot be more perfect. These moments pass so quickly, they are as ephemeral as a rose in full blossom.
The Mortal Coil (36" X 36")
The Mortal Coil
"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil" (Shakespeare)
The Waterfall (48" X 48")
The Waterfall
Drawn from a memory, an experience where the water fell all around, sprayed with mist and freezing melted snow, a bond and human connection which was fleeting.
A Scream (36" X 24")
A Scream
That moment where we wish to express the deep and ancient "animalistic" scream of life, and all that experience suggests.
Unbridled (36" X 24")
Unbridled
An untangling of energy and expression to express that rare feeling of being "unbridled."
Heaven's Gate (36" X 24")
Heaven's Gate
That place as described in human mythology where we wait - where we hope to enter that place where it is physical or petaphorical.
Love Everlasting (48" X 36")
Love Everlasting
Two figures, where love everlasting is not just an idea but their reality.
Lean on Me - when you're not strong (48" X 36")
Blue Moon Rising - spirits at play (48" X 36")
Blue Moon Rising
This hypnotic song inspires me: Noel Gallagher - Blue Moon Rising
Lyrics:
When the night is falling And the land is cold And that secret you found in your pocket Will remain untold There's a storm out on the horizon And it's coming our way By the light of the blue moon rising Shall we just run away? Will I meet you down on the corner Where our hopes and dreams were sold? By the poet and the loner On the streets we paved with gold The deeper that you get, the more that you'll regret Living on the edge of the night But the blazing sunset in your eyes Means more to me than life 'Cause you make me feel electric Beauty in truth is hard to find Some of us bleeding and some of us needing to find a way 'Cause you make me feel electric Beauty in truth is hard to find Some of us bleeding and some of us needing to find a way It's getting closer, can you feel it? I'm glad that I found you just in time Some of us bleeding and some of us needing to find a way Now the night has fallen And the land is cold But that secret you found in your pocket To remain untold
The Tree of Lost Souls (30" X 40")
The Tree of Lost Souls revealed itself to me slowly as I applied and scraped thick layers of several acrylic materials woven together. Stone carvers say that as they carve they are simply revealing what is already there within their material. My process is one of revealing without judgement. Is it good enough? Will people like it or hate it, or worse have no reaction or thought at all.
As these strange spirits emerged my thought was simply "a tree of lost souls." Any further description or explanation shouldn't be necessary by me.
Worlds Away (30" X 40")
Worlds Away I found myself thinking about what it means to be close to people and the world at large and at the same time feeling worlds away (as if in a dream state). I often experience this emotion of feeling worlds away but wanting to be closer, less distant. As the painter however I strive to be an impartial observer, recorder, and presenter of ideas emerging from a compost of experience while letting go to listen to what my painting is trying to say.
Slipping Away (36" X 36")
Slipping Away A contract for life, fading, the speeding away of memory, lost minds, lost souls and loved ones. In slow motion slipping away, waking to sunrise the spinning earth reveals a rending truth: there is no pause for even the most pure and gentle of heart. Those rose moments crackling to dust carried off by wind we bear witness to life slipping away.
Slipping Away is an acknowledgement that everything slips away eventually, be it memories, people, health, life itself. Nevertheless it is in our nature to struggle against that inevitable fate.
Lost at Sea (48" X 36")
Lost at Sea reveals shimmering figures alive with movement and emotion, a dramatic huma
The Players (48" X 48")
The Players
“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages"
Shakespeare often compared human existence to the experience of actors upon a stage, the world simply a place to host our performance:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing"
These thoughts, ruminating within my mind from early high school days, creep into my work - beyond my control - having never consciously invoked them. I did learn long ago to surrender to this experience, in recognition that I am a simple (and ephemeral) vessel that manifests these age-old existential beliefs.
The Beachcomber (36" X 36")
The Beachcomber
I have been the beachcomber - a fascinating experience of discovery and learning, never knowing what new mystery will be discovered as the environment is always changing.
In The Eye of the Hurricane (36" X 36")
In The Eye of the Hurricane
I see storm all around and that special moment of strange peace and quiet is the eye of the storm. For each of us that experience is very different.
Queen of the Seas (36" X 48")
Queen of the Seas
As a "water baby" sailor, swimmer, scuba diver) ...a person who has always been fascinated by the under sea world, this is more expressionistic of an idea of water, perhaps acknowledgment that we are mostly water and that it is water that makes our existence possible.
Sunrise Manifesto (36" X 36")
Sunrise Manifesto
A brightly coloured graffiti of sunny expression with a glowing light suggesting that there might be a manifesto to live by, one of sunlight and possibility.
Pantheon (36" X 36")
Pantheon
A deeply textured and layered presentation where mysterious figures coalesce into a "pantheon" of ritual.
High Tide (36" X 36")
High Tide
Tides are amazing occurrences in so many ways - caused by both the sun and moon, invisible forces that make many aspects of earth's biological cycles possible. If this effect were to end our planetary lives would be significantly altered, if not entirely impossible.
Odoodem (48" X 36")
Odoodem
The word totem comes from the Algonquian word odoodem meaning “his kinship group.” (meaning a family or a clan).
Totem are monuments carved by First Nations to commemorate ancestry, histories, people, or events. Totem poles can signify beings, or spiritual animals, a family's lineage to validate the status a family (or tribe) held. For me they are like ancient messages "in a bottle" left behind by a culture to say "we were here."
Icarus (36" X 36")
Icarus
Icarus, in Greek mythology, perished by flying too near the Sun with waxen wings. Here I do question the idea - when does ambition lead to downfall, what is the contemporary relevance for this ancient moral code?
The Immortals (48" X 36")
The Immortals
A wonderous reoccurring thought for me surrounds this notion of "immortality." Can we live on by leaving something behind, some mark or creation? As all life is recycled back to the universe (yes even this planet will become particles of stardust as even our sun dissolves into space/time. Our own energy, our building blocks of life, have existed for eons and so today we are products of energy that cannot die.
“Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another.” (Albert Einstein)
The Invisible (Diptych 48" X 96")
The Invisible
My lifelong artist journey can be expressed by this one cliché: 'there's more to this than meets the eye'
What is visible to the eye is often a veneer, an illusion - the truth is something deeper, hiding in the shadows. As the Little Prince declared, real seeing is not even physical, one sees what is true not with the eyes but with the heart. While a work of art is consumed by the eyes it is digested somewhere else, within the "soul," and it is during this momentary shining-light "denouement" that the truest meaning of a work can be enjoyed.
More importantly for me as an artist is the struggle I entangle myself in to reveal the spiritual (rather than the visual) by opening my senses as a "channel," a medium, to convey on a surface what exists in the ether that surrounds me. If all of reality is a grand illusion than creating a painting of imaginary happenings is an extension of all that's going on beneath the visible surface.
What artist who dares to create some weird looking "surreal-ish" work is not considered "mad" or at least a little crazy. What is probably crazier is that images such as these come to me and through me. Yes, it would be far safer to just paint a vase of flowers or a pretty set of trees and clouds - but strangely I have trouble doing that!