My goal as an artist is to impact society with rich visual representations of sub-cultures and issues in social, political and religious lights. I want to be controversial, but still respectful. Do not judge my work until you take the time to absorb it's meaning, which in most cases streams strait from my soul. The following is an artist's statement I wrote back in 2002:
"As an artist, I must ask myself inner questions. I must explore myself, before even beginning to think of creating a piece. How do I communicate taste, hearing, feeling, aroma, in a form of communication frozen in sight? How can I make the witnesses of my work feel what I feel, and all of the other senses I experience? These are my goals as an artist. I am constantly working to create something that grips the mind, and pulls it into another realm of thinking; a realm of thinking that arouses the senses, and opens the mind. I try my best to express myself in a way that will make one think, question life, and be able to take a part of me with every observation. Faces showing ill-wanted emotions, caught in a web of the mind. Seeing an image portraying this may arouse many questions, and emotions. Will one feel what the face of sorrow is sharing? Will one be able to sense the eyes of apathy? Will one know fear? How do I communicate these feelings? Will one see me in the painting? I want my art to pierce the mind, and enter it as a nutritious ration for thought. I want my art to have the power to pry the mind open, in an attempt to enlighten generations to come, for the sake of experiencing a real person's intangible sentiment. If my work sparks a fancy to explore the vast void of reflection, then I have succeeded indeed. Who am I? I am a messenger, like everyone else. I wish to communicate to the world, and show them who I am inside. I want to offer a piece of myself, to be reflected upon. I want to touch the hollow of the human mind, and warp it into a thick illumination. I am a missionary. I am a courier. I am a herald. I am an omen. I am an artist."
I call my art "alternative" because I reside in Wyoming, which is very conservative. Since I do not paint landscapes, cowboys or nature, my art is seen as "out there" or "outrageous" or "offensive", and therefore I've coined it as "alternative". |
