dichotomies

the dictionary defines “dichotomy” as “a division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups – a dichotomy between thought and action.” it occurs to me that we tend to be naturally judgmental, making the world a binary proposition: good/bad, yes/no, on/off, right/wrong, hot/cold, like/unlike, etc. so this new work is about dichotomies. one dichotomy involves the collision between the rational and the random. the rational is the simple geometric, intentional composition. the random is the occurrence of accidental painterly incidents. the other dichotomy has to do with the meeting of dominant colors that exist independently, but live adjacent to each other. this creates an emotional atmosphere or mood. as the work progresses. the process becomes more intuitive and subject to impulse.

currently, i’m exploring the notion of layer the paint in thick application and kind of torturing it to uncover new kinds of painterly accidents.

earlier pieces are more fluid and naturalistic as the interaction of different viscosities of paint derive new forms, textures and depth. the impression reminds me of coral reefs, mold, or lichens. suggestive of organic and atmospheric conditions.

the initial pieces were driven by a more minimal approach. i’ve always admired the intellectual purity of minimal art and this afforded me the opportunity to explore the genre. it was also driven by an attempt to make paintings that have no “foreground” or “background".