Order
My obsession with objects has little to do with what the objects are, but rather their physicality in relation to the space between and around them. The negative space is also an object. Its physicality is as important as that of the objects in their overall arrangement. I am continually ‘correcting’ these arrangements to find their ideal balance. Once realized, moving an object presents a new conundrum.
“Self Portrait No. 1” is a recreation of the meticulously arranged bookshelves I have in my studio. The work is comprised of sixty individual oil paintings on mylar, mounted on steel plates, and hung with magnets recessed into the wall.
Perfection
These works study compulsions in pursuit of perfect order and represent the idealized state sought after by the minds of those affected by organizational OCD. Each paintings is accompanied by a diagram for installation which specifies the parameters of a rectangle to be painted on a wall and dictates the precise locations of the oil paintings to be hung within that rectangle. Although I can’t achieve perfection in my daily life, in art, I can.
I choose to recreate forms that we have become immune to. Things that have become invisible to us due to their prevalence in our lives. I am re-presenting these objects anew, recreating the wonder we experienced as a child when seeing an object for the first time.
Vexations & Disturbances
These pieces not only explore the computational ways in which we process information, through patterns and systems, but presents it to us in physical form, through the rearrangement and organization of everyday objects.Collection
This series is based on my field research in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. After attending a professional conference on Hoarding disorder, I started looking at those affected by the disorder differently. I had greater empathy for their situation. I began seeing their environments, and the things they collected, as a symptom of their disorder, rather than piles of random objects. During my research, I had visited with a woman who conveyed to me multiple stories of traumatic events in her childhood. I took notice of the way in which she told me the stories. She was very precise in her descriptions of the details; down to specific dates, times, the age she was, and the places in which these events occurred. When I looked around her home, I saw how, in essence, her hoard was her “proof” of this past. I have only scratched the surface in trying to understand the ways in which trauma may be evidenced in the objects with which individuals choose to surround themselves. By making paintings based on these environments, I hope to better understand the correlation between the two.
On Creation
The creation of a work of art can be synonymous with the content it depicts. For me it is important to prepare my mind to be in the right state before I begin work. This includes the organization of my space and my work surface, the music I listen to and even the ways in which I approach the steps for each phase of the project. I never rush. I consider every phase on its own and try to maximize its efficacy on the project itself. Each preparation is as important to me as the work I am creating. My works are extension of my psyche. It is important to me to facilitate moving from inner to outer seamlessly.
On Reduction
The simplification of my forms is grounded in phenomenology, a school of philospophy. How do we get to the essence of a thing? For example, when we see a wax candle, a wax piece of fruit, or the candy wax lips, what is it about that thing that makes us all aware and intrinsically know that it’s wax. Once you remove all the traits from the candle or the lips or the fruit, like color, sent, etc., we’re left with this essence, the essence of wax. It’s that essence and I’m seeking to find within each object.