These images depict subjects familiar to our collective consciousness, but overlooked as they occur just outside the events of the noteworthy. Time is suspended and a silence welcomes the viewer to imagine the forces at work. What is not visible is just as important as what is. The story revolves around the provided images of people from contemporary American society, but it is not exclusive to them.
As Garrett Keizer explains, “Being an American is about living in contradiction, if it is about anything, because the glory and the tragedy of America come from our insatiable desire always to have the best of both worlds. That includes the worlds of noise and quiet, of utter freedom and inner peace. We want our own backyard version of the cloistered walk and our own Promethean stereo system as well. We want to practice Zen but mainly in the art of motorcycle maintenance.” I see that noise as encompassing even more than just the audible. The figures in these works are overwhelmed with the noise of everything unsolicited and excessive.
The irony is that this excess of noise often leaves one with a feeling of yearning and emptiness. We witness the subjects frozen in a state of paralyzation from sensory overload and as thoughts of inadequacy begin to set in. This emptiness is represented in the expanse of raw canvas color on which the image floats. The color (or lack of) is both alive and tranquil as it implies a noise while leaving it out. The figures’ surroundings that have been excluded, and thereby overtaken by the picture ground, are not extraneous to the image. By inviting the viewer to imagine the elements of the environment that are not provided, I believe a fuller experience is achievable.
In regard to the craft employed, the canvas is allowed to remain uncluttered as I enjoy the casualness of drawing and feel unpressed to fill to the edges. This unfinished look as well as my experimentation with style and finish allows me to show my hand in the art and thereby my will; subverting the seemingly documentary form of the image. The view of the fragmented narrative presented is sympathetic to a projected emotion.