I was never a big fan of Baroque music. I found it fussy and formal with little room for spontaneity, passion or romance. It made me think of hollywood movies filled with ornate and gaudy sets, clothing that looked like costumes, depicting class structures based on wealth achieved through legacy and the exploitation of others.
While in residence at Ucross in Wyoming, I worked on Disturbance No. 2". Creating this work was technically demanding. The painting is a polyptych of five canvas abutting one another. Each canvas depicts a single flat file cabinet, painted at actual size, 35” high by 47.5” wide. Each cabinet has 10 drawers, ten label holders and 20 handle. All five canvases needed to be as visually close to one another as possible in order to make one 20 foot long, cohesive piece.
As I worked on the painting, and the hundreds of lines I need to paint to create the illusion of the drawers, handles, etc, I listened to the Baroque music. In some way, the music was condusive to my pratice. I helped me focus my attention and steady my hand. Can an auditory experince influence a visual one?
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF PAINTING HOARDS.
In 2020 I decided to work on seven large scale paintings based on images I gathered while doing field research in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. The paintings essentially filled my studio. They surrounded me. After a couple of months of working on these paintings, an overwhelming sense of unease began to take over me. I started feeling down, distracted and sad, but I could not figure out why. Everything in my life was going well. My family was doing well, my art practice was in a good state of flow, so I couldn’t understand why I felt this way. Regardless, I kept working on the paintings, pushing myself to finish them. Eventually, I completed the paintings, photographed them, and put them away in my storage racks. About a week later, I started feeling more like myself again. When I reflected on what had happened, I realized that I had essentially “immersed” myself in a hoarding environment. I was living in it for months. The mere image of the intense mass had affected me in ways I had not intended.
“The psyche creates reality” - Carl Jung
We make stuff and we buy stuff. Is this all there is?
We all have a fascination with objects. They help us define our sense of self. They make up our identity and unique from others, or at least, think we are. When we rid ourselves of the things around us, we have to contend with being just ourselves. That troubles most people. They disdain being alone with only thoughts. Possessions divert us from our finding our essence. They are distractions along the path to discovering our true selves.
Who are you ,really. How do you deifne your sense of self. Is it
Sustainability
As a Socitey we have become aware of the effects our production of goods is having on our environment. We are producing more than ever before. We are producing things that have shorter life spans. Things have become disposable, gone are the days of sending your tv, stereo, everyday appliances in for repair. This lifestyle is unsustainable. Yet we keep moving on with it. How do we break this cycle?
we need to better understand our relationship to things. We need to know why we are always in “need” of new things. We need to come to terms with our insatiable drive to always get “more” if we are to truly help save our environment. Often, when I discuss this sub plot in my work, I find that the listener’s eyes glaze over. This perspective is not one they wish to hear. People do not want to hear that they need to curb their consumption. We all want our creature comforts, but to what extent. How will we save our globe?