This exhibition at the University School of Nashville, is comprised of works in a range of media done over the last decade. Since these works reach into the past and extend to the present I decided to use the title of the work on paper “How Did We Get Here” for the title of the exhibit. I have been asking myself this question, as well as “How big is the universe?” and “Does god exist?” and “Why are we here?” ever since I was a child. These sorts of questions about the nature of our existence are what drive me to make art, which, for me, is an attempt to try to understand our world and the times we live in.
As an artist I am constantly mining my surroundings for materials, imagery, and ideas for my work. Everything I see, hear, feel, and find can potentially go into the art. The works in this exhibition contain references to events that have taken place during their making and they also have generalized philosophical musings. I don’t think that they offer an answer as much as an experience. The watercolor “How Did We Get Here?” came about when the debate about “Intelligent Design” vs. Evolution was raging.
I think of the paintings and works on paper as “atmospheres of thought” in which a lot of visual information is supplied so that a viewer can choose parts to respond to and make her or his own connections and assertions. They are similar to a mind at work, constantly collecting and sorting information from various stimuli in order to make sense of it all. When I begin on a piece I don’t generally have a plan, except to tell a story and communicate and connect with people through the art. My method is to put one element down, then respond to it with a second element and so on until the work is complete. I employ a wide variety of mediums in order to work with my hands in different ways, which forces my brain to work in new ways. Various parts of my personality can be expressed through the different mediums.