Artist Statement..... april 13th, 2005

Let me begin by clarifying things.....Since i was "knee high to a grasshopper,” i've been swirling the colors and lines around like nobody's business.....tapping my tendrils in every direction they could muster. Painting, drawing, sculpture, music, theater, performance, alchemy, herbcraft, cooking, fashion, and on and on......Every aspect of life is a form of art, and nothing is truly mundane.
Of recent times, i have been completely immersed in the thick, rich, radiant, fume ridden realms of oil paint on canvas, wood, and masonite. i have dabbled a bit in pen and ink, but not as much as prior years. My prior work's vocabulary was over powered by pure cadmium hues, insanely bright yellows and reds, kept in balance with rich purples, blues, and greens. Recently i have been mixing my reds and yellows with purple to create a much more muted palette and using different oxide reds and browns....much like autumn's colors. i feel that this new color palette is more accessible and soothing, and plan on exploring these avenues further. i have been working with an improvisational/ automatic style of painting for some time, stemming from experiences the universe has thrown my way. All the vocabulary used in my work relates to my reality and events of both mammoth and miniscule proportion that have somehow influenced me along the way. For me recent body of work (www.swirlybits.com/visualbits/2005bits.html), i have incorporated a new vocabulary of projected and planned direction and narrative. The narrative of this particular body of work is a reflection of delving deeper into physical and mental strain, for the sake of answers or new questions. In a time where people may be feeling confused or lost while trying to figure it all out, this body of work is an homage to those driven to the point of no return. The point where self induced or natural occurring delusions and hallucinations pave the path to vigilance and gallantry. i tend to lean towards salon style in my presentation and this body of work has turn of the century spanish surrealist overtones. My inspirations include early Picasso, Dali, Mucha, Goldsworthy, 60s/70s “Fillmore” poster art, Barker, Steadman, Munch, Kandinsky, and Klimt. The way i execute my paintings and drawings are completely different. My paintings stem from pure emotion and release. A violent dance of color distribution and texture accumulation begins far before any subject matter can emerge. While with the pen, i am overwhelmed with detail and delicate symmetry. Every form of expression is a separate form of release, while every form of release is a birthing of some sort of communication.