Uncanny Dreams
“What happens when we fall asleep? Where do we go in the quiet hours?
Are dreams a kind of alternate reality, a dimension we visit when our waking mind drifts off to sleep?
Some believe dreams are where we encounter the divine, others say they’re psychological mirrors, or that they are strange blurred memories of other lives. Maybe we’re remembering something we were never supposed to forget.
The technical process behind this new body of work involves sculpting and set design for visual reference that express some of my own dreams. Every detail builds a world that blurs the boundary between waking life and the sleeping surreal. The white-washed setting, the calligraphic messages, the paper-flesh textures, the half-hidden crescent moon, is part of the world I’m building.
Man on the Moon
“It’s just that kind of place
Where children reign and flowers grow to be big as trees
As if you’ve walked there before but without eyes so you find it uncanny
And how would you have them be, if not strange?
Just let them be!
Drifters, lovers, a place I’ll find you if I can’t on earth.
Just something I think you should know:
Your bright light never blinds me so I’ll paint you shadow vows here on moon.”
Somewhere Out There, oil on panel, 12×12’’
Bring Me A Dream, oil on panel, 12×12’’
The calligraphy acts as a secret language, preserving spur of the moment thoughts that I have. Rather than writing in a traditional journal, I inscribe my emotions directly into my work, turning the surface into sort of a diary or journal. The words, often obscured, are not meant to be immediately understood or even legible. I like the idea of leaving clues for the viewer as they find themselves gazing into the paintings textures.
Nature’s Way, oil on canvas, 36×72’’
