My intention is to create work that highlights and/or identifies behaviors, values and stereotypes that derive from unquestioned traditions and cultural practices.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings are representational narratives influenced by my growing up in Texas during the 1970’s and 80’s with divorced parents.
They are created from moments, memories and ideas that highlight my journey navigating the differences between my gay father and my straight mother, the socio-cultural political norms of the era in which they were raised and the socio-cultural political norms of my own generation.
The paintings rely on my theater experience in acting and design. I cast myself as the characters. The scenes are composed with attention to direction, costume, lighting and set design. I self-reference my work in order to strengthen the meaning of motif and narrative. I exaggerate the familiar and make it improbable. Southern colloquialisms and Pop Culture provide elements of humor. The sense of nostalgia and familiarity is created through costume, objects and my palette, inspired by vintage magazine ads of the 1940’s, 50’s and 70’s.
All of these elements help nurture a connection between the narrative and the audience. My intention is to create work that highlights and/or identifies behaviors, values and stereotypes that derive from unquestioned traditions and cultural practices.
Currently I am exploring the attempt, by so many of us, at trying to strike a balance between the need to be our truest selves and the tether of antiquated social expectation, consumer culture, social media and how this experience fits into our country’s broader, social and cultural narrative.