statement

By accelerating subatomic particles to near the speed of light and smashing them together in controlled environments, particle accelerators allow us to further investigate how certain elements were formed, as well as how the universe came into existence and why.  Along with the very real risk of creating earth-gobbling black holes in collisions gone awry, the opportunity to discover answers to some of human-kinds most important and sought after questions is simply too attractive to ignore. 

         Viewers are not expected to understand that these oil paintings are derived from photographs of 70-foot tall particle accelerators.  In fact, they have been broken down and abstracted so much that even individual components are unidentifiable.  This is intended to simulate the overwhelming feeling of being lost and entirely miniscule in comparison to how grand of a presence they carry.  I visually break down the machines into major shapes and colors to understand them as small groups of a whole, much like the machines themselves must break down elements to their most bare components to understand the universe and beyond as the sum of many other smaller parts.  

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Oil on linen...

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Oil on linen...

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almost. 

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Oil on linen...

particle accelerators and whatnot

So i began doing these paintings of particle accelerators with the idea of technology and paradox in mind.  As some of you may know, i embarked on a series of telephone poles last semester and i find many of the recurring themes from that body creeping back into my thoughts (there was also the animal/machine hybrids too haha) The idea of technology as a problem and solution is the major theme i see emerging from these works that i'm posting now.
Some of you may be familiar with the large particle accelerator built in switzerland is a circular track over 17 miles long. It uses electro-magnetic fields to accelerate particles at close to the speed of light and smash them together in a controlled environment, to essentially create a mini version of the big-bang.   Its end result is said to produce a multitude of things, but in particular either a small, controlled universe, or an earth-gobbling black hole which would suck our entire planet into it in a matter of seconds...  sweet.

I've collected photos, cropped, and adjusted colors, saturation, and exposure to create colorful but almost daunting abstracts of these incredibly elaborate machines to use as visual sources for these paintings.  I wanted the color choices to be very synthetic as opposed to earthy tones, implying the potential hazards of these items, almost as if they were toxic to our existence.

new stuff

maybes....

it's about...

It's about new vintage.

Progressions

These are just some quick snaps of some paintings i've been working on.  I also recently did a small body of work in this similar style (before these two) on bones. I may post a few images from this body of work also, only because it pertains to the painting style i've been trying to work in, and i may get some useful comments on color selections, brush strokes, etc. 

Statement

Artists have always found the human form interesting for it's timeless design and curious origins. Some of humankind's greatest achievements have been reached in attempting to honor just this.  As the most direct way of paying tribute to the form, sculpture has always been implemented by some of the greatest. It is a re-creation of the objects that exist in our perceived 3-dimensional world. That being said, I see painting the human form as an indirect manner in which to interpret these objects or people, where the challenge is not to replicate, but to simulate. Instead of looking at an actual form, we are looking at a 2-dimensional plane, which deceives our eyes into perceiving it 3-dimensionally. 

In either method, artists have always somehow told stories.  These stories were sometimes political, religious, futuristic, serious, and sometimes funny.  These clues end up being vital for future civilizations to learn about these preceding cultures.

When thinking about my lasting impression of humanities involvement with the universe, I try to think of ways to honor not only the path that art took to get here, but to also leave an impression about the culture that we live in for future generations to appreciate.  It also makes me wonder what renaissance period sculptures may have looked like if nike pumps, ipod earbuds, and gangster gold chains had existed... which brings me to this body of work. 

What kind of stories can we tell by integrating symbols of technology, culture, and industrialization into the expression of sculptural illusion (painting).  What would a painting of a sculpture of the virgin Mary holding a cell phone look like? I want to smash old and new together, and maybe get other artists to think about the footprints they leave as future ancient relics. 

This body of paintings of decorated sculptures will be primarily polychromatic, exercising fauvism's intense colors, borrowing da-da-ist unpredictability, impressionism's fluidity and vibrancy, neo-classical's sometimes polemic attitude, and drenched with symbolism, although at first glance, even shallow.