ARTIST STATEMENT

An attempt to try and show, through associations and imagery, ideas that are no longer clever but profound has been my goal since I first became an artist. For this to happen there must be viewers of my work . What if there is no audience? Ways of attracting participants have been tried across the board, and what I find most effective is persistence. Persistence in the sense of continuous existence and familiarity. When someone is in a certain environment, they can be focusing their attention anywhere. Yet an image seen before can be discarded, or given a closer look. This is what you want, voluntary participation and people taking advantage of a piece of artwork by engaging with it.

The public should be sharing ideas and discoveries they've made with others around them, right there, or carry something away for later. Public art already has an advantage by being understood to be "of the community" and therefore, it's perception comes democratically and my artwork is neutral. I do not wish to provide answers, but rather attempt to spark dialogue.

This goal was particularly successful through a show I was given at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. This solo exhibition included figurative imagery from text to still life, huge portraits of locals and dynamic color. The painting which was titled Dark Matter brought the public into a fine art experience. It dominated an entire gallery and was over 72' long. I was commissioned to paint a mural for Honduras in 2004 sponsored by the United Nations. I have designed and produced large scale work for private corporations and local communities. My work stands apart by challenging what the idea of a mural is. The photo realism I achieve in portraits and images inspires people not only to get there nose up close and try and see how it was done, but also to stand back and see the work as a whole.

Commissioned work generally has an idea which needs to be realized, and with an artist's help, it can be. You must try and see the unique ethos of the community. The artist needs to help them figure out what that is, and then realize it with them. I consider much of my work to be a dialogue with the community. It is simple communication if not a conversation. An image, if engaging, will bring a person in to investigate the work and use their mind. Next there is a first time experience which can change if more effort is made by the viewer. My work contains themes which make you wonder and ask a question of yourself or another.

I make sure to spend time at the site where my public artwork will be realized. I mingle with the locals, and we talk. The immediate environment and its inhabitants help bring a gestalten to my artwork. It's nice to ponder things with the community, over time, through a painting.

In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I chose a space for my work which I was told had power. It did. Over 300 yards away. So we went to the store and bought several rolls of electrical cable, enough to cover the distance and connect the site to the juice. My work site was located on a major street. While dropping the line, a passerby suggested to tap into the streetlight above our heads. My assistant stopped a municipal vehicle, explained the situation, and they took out the bulb and spliced in an extension cord. No papers or work order. Why not? No problem. The easiest solution to the problem seemed beyond consideration. You see, sometimes in order to resolve something, all you need is a little conversation.