The Sky is Falling
These narratives investigate the anxiety produced by the wholesale restructuring of the world that occurs when we begin to question our beliefs and our being. I approached this body of work as an anthology series which has given me the freedom to explore different themes that draw heavily from personal experience. My work embodies all the trademarks of my own internal narrative which at its core is pervasively anxious. Figures and space are fractured or stylized, giving the paintings a sense of disjointedness, as if elements are living together only temporarily on the canvas. I often approach a painting aiming to make a mess in the beginning stages to see how these decisions can be rectified later. I cover some marks with new layers of paint but other areas remain untouched. In this way, the material process of the painting starts to echo the conceptual as layers of marks begin to create a complex web of decisions that shape the overall tenor the of painting. I use the perceptual experience of viewing a painting to stimulate the same thinking we use to construct our own realities. By placing viewers in the position of constructing their own beliefs about the action or message of the painting, this meta-experience highlights the universality of constructing comprehensive narratives, their pervasiveness in our lives and their impact on determining how we encounter and interpret the world. Thus, the paintings become more than mere objects but become experiments in seeing and thinking.
Humans tell stories. Constructing our worlds upon these stories, we aim to find patterns of order and meaning. All that we encounter in the world beyond ourselves informs these narratives and as individuals ultimately decide what accounts and information shape how we perceive and interpret the world. Understanding the pervasiveness of narratives and how they impact our lives is integral to our ability to decipher and deconstruct them. Especially in these media saturated times, we as viewers are placed in the precarious position of navigating a treacherous landscape of narratives - some wholly fictional, others a dangerous mix of fact and theatrics. Belief is hardwired into the human brain but what happens when these beliefs are misguided or unfounded? In an era of fake news, doublespeak and post-truth, there is a danger in our desire to cling to narratives. Without some means of grounding ourselves, it can begin to feel as though the sky is falling.
These narratives investigate the anxiety produced by the wholesale restructuring of the world that occurs when we begin to question our beliefs and our being. I approached this body of work as an anthology series which has given me the freedom to explore different themes that draw heavily from personal experience. My work embodies all the trademarks of my own internal narrative which at its core is pervasively anxious. Figures and space are fractured or stylized, giving the paintings a sense of disjointedness, as if elements are living together only temporarily on the canvas. I often approach a painting aiming to make a mess in the beginning stages to see how these decisions can be rectified later. I cover some marks with new layers of paint but other areas remain untouched. In this way, the material process of the painting starts to echo the conceptual as layers of marks begin to create a complex web of decisions that shape the overall tenor the of painting. I use the perceptual experience of viewing a painting to stimulate the same thinking we use to construct our own realities. By placing viewers in the position of constructing their own beliefs about the action or message of the painting, this meta-experience highlights the universality of constructing comprehensive narratives, their pervasiveness in our lives and their impact on determining how we encounter and interpret the world. Thus, the paintings become more than mere objects but become experiments in seeing and thinking.
Humans tell stories. Constructing our worlds upon these stories, we aim to find patterns of order and meaning. All that we encounter in the world beyond ourselves informs these narratives and as individuals ultimately decide what accounts and information shape how we perceive and interpret the world. Understanding the pervasiveness of narratives and how they impact our lives is integral to our ability to decipher and deconstruct them. Especially in these media saturated times, we as viewers are placed in the precarious position of navigating a treacherous landscape of narratives - some wholly fictional, others a dangerous mix of fact and theatrics. Belief is hardwired into the human brain but what happens when these beliefs are misguided or unfounded? In an era of fake news, doublespeak and post-truth, there is a danger in our desire to cling to narratives. Without some means of grounding ourselves, it can begin to feel as though the sky is falling.