Mixed Media

My canvas takes whatever form necessary for a given direction; whether this is wood, a mannequin, a body or a traditional stretched cloth. Although my preference is oil paint; I never stop experimenting with new mediums, from candle wax and roofing tar, to various adhesives and clay. I have studied and painted in both the traditional classic style of the old masters and the art of abstraction, however my niche has turned out to be a combination of both, frequently with an element of photography and/or performance. I do not hide the fact that these initial layers are often photographs, as wielding my camera and the initial composition is an art form in and of itself. Mimicking reality takes great skill, but the artist’s job is to do much more than this. The expression is in the rendering over of this initial photograph, sometimes completely, with thick layers of paint, ink, pastel and other media that an image is brought to life. Even the old masters used to have the apprentices paint the initial layers of a piece, knowing that the expression and content were in the final stages and rendering of a given work of art.

This being said, it was essential for myself that I learn to paint in the traditional method, but this painstaking process is not my natural bent or inclination. The freedom to risk everything, to destroy or to slowly build is lost if I have spent endless hours rendering the initial image. While I appreciate the value in sticking to traditional methods; the art world also needs those who wield every possible tool available. We build on the knowledge of those who came before, but we discover by embracing what is new.