29 April 2006
It was my good fortune to grow up in Minnesota, where the vast prairie, so open to the endless horizon, expresses the American optimism so beautifully. Beautiful though it may be, the fact was never lost on me that nature can also be harsh, unmerciful, and indifferent. Likewise, the veneer of Midwestern societal mores, on the surface so polite and well mannered, conceals the tensions, anxieties and cruelty of our social world. The resulting “conflict of emotions” that we all experience is the subject of much of my work.
I decided to become an artist at age fifteen, after attending a six week summer program at The Minneapolis School of Art. The content of most of my work is personal narrative. Much of that content comes from my childhood memories. Many of those early experiences imprinted so deeply on my consciousness – the colors, the smells, the tactile experiences – that I can remember them now as if they happened yesterday.
I discovered early on that making art is the best way for me to process and record that which I feel. Our world is often unkind, confusing, and unconcerned about our expectations and desires. The more I search for meaning, the less I seem to understand. Art serves as a touchstone for all of my unresolved angst and uncertainty. Through my art work I can rebuild the world, analyze it, and move on.
Over the years I have found myself returning to certain subjects, which fall under several inter-related themes. These subjects include dreams, memories, nightmares, childhood traumas, the ideal world, anxieties, fears, emotional reactions, stress, repression, and consumer society. I express these subjects metaphorically through the use of figures, landscape, and objects.
In my work I use distorted forms, dynamic compositions, and expressionistic color to communicate the emotional subtext of my narratives. My intention is to get my viewers emotionally engaged in my work through the sensory experience of looking at it. I believe that the power of art lies in its ability to engage the intellect, emotions, and perceptual faculties simultaneously by bombarding the senses with shock and beauty, reaching directly into the viewer’s subconscious mind. The challenge for me as an artist is to find metaphors in my personal experiences that have meaning for the larger audience.
Although my artistic influences are widespread, I believe my oeuvre is essentially a product of the American experience. Aesthetically, my credo is democratic and pragmatic: I hold allegiance to anything that works to express the feelings I am trying to convey. This may include master works from Masaccio to Kuniyoshi, or from James Ensor to Florine Stettheimer, and anything in between.
Popular culture has been an equally important influence on my work. Comic books, the music world, political cartoons, and the news media have all provided me with material both visual and narrative from which I draw on.
Some may question my subjective, personal approach to art, asking whether it has any value to anyone except to me. I can only respond that, imperfect though it may be, our subjective viewpoint can sometimes offer the most honest reflection of what it is like to live in our times. The fascination with trying to record and communicate our thoughts, perceptions, and memories is one of the things that make us human.
By capturing images on canvas, I am able to affect the way in which our world will be remembered by future generations.
