GALLERY ONE

Seriously Man Series

Am I having fun?
Si, si, si -uh-yes, I am.

And I am serious about this work?
Don't think I'm not.

It takes lots of thinking, feeling and exploration to find different marks that can be put together in an unnatural way and end up with a painting that is a painting.

These works take a lot of waiting and sifting through my reactions. They begin with expressionistic movement of lines, color and brushstrokes sometimes to the tempo of music or just thoughtless wandering over the surface of the canvas or board. Often I look at the beginning and find that it is something that I cannot accept but I begin to see little areas that are good or interesting so I begin to make changes, one, and then another one.

It happens incrementally, almost painstakingly.

So you see I've gotten serious again. It's hard not to.

But, these paintings are about the complexity of life and that includes the lighter side of things. The finely tuned colors (even when they are screaming), the magnetic push and pull of the elements (even when they look like they are just hanging out) and the loopy, sometimes hysterically funny lines (even though they are balancing themselves out) work together to create a joyousness as well.

So…
I started with expressing, I continued with considering, and the trick is to know when to quit.

And there you have it.