Visual Art – The Hamptons
My work explores space and infinity. Humans have always looked to the stars for guidance and inspiration and now in the age of technology we are blessed with the ability to see the stars in an entirely new light. With high resolution images coming from James Web Space Telescope, I find myself endlessly inspired by new images of cosmic bodies. My works are a direct juxtaposition of making things happen and allowing things to happen. My compositions are empowered by deliberate inclusion of highly contrasting elements. The noise from high contrast is regulated with bold structure.
I am unafraid of strong contrasting colors but find it is certainly not the only way to create contrast. I use a variety of acrylic mixes to manifest this contrast. I like acrylic pigments because they can be adapted with a variety of binders to incur different properties. Across my compositions I utilize both the properties of high flow acrylics and heavy gels/ molding pastes.
My recent works include poured sections and this is where I allow things to happen. It is my link to the infinite. Small adjustments in the paint mix can lead to wildly different outcomes and the possibilities feel endless. I prefer a mad scientist approach to adjusting the ratio. It is not exact, each time I try to do something a little differently. Over time, this builds my understanding of the effect each component in the mix has but does not eliminate the possibility of surprise. I adjust the ratio of the mix and pour large puddles of acrylic paint onto a plexi-glass sheet. When these puddles dry, I can peel them off the sheet and cut them into any shape to collage into my compositions. If I do not use the whole sheet, I can save the rest for another composition. This gives me a great deal of control over fluid paint movements that tend to do as they please because I can select any section from the larger sheet to become the focus.
These sheets have a flat surface, so the use of thick heavy gel outlines and highly textured backgrounds allows me to create contrast in my surface textures. The background is where I make things happen. I use brushes to shape molding paste into a strong background pattern, this creates regularity that contrasts the organic flowing nature of the pours. I build the background in layers often taking advantage of pearlescent and interference pigments to create a ghostly shimmer that change as you view them from different angles. I believe this makes the compositions more dynamic as they will sparkle at you in different ways as you walk around them.
Space is infinite and its infinite nature captivates me, but not all things have to be big to be infinite. Circles are a perfect example of infinity and show up frequently in my work. Circles are natures perfect link between the individual and the infinite. One circle has an infinite number of sides. The number one can be divided into infinite pieces. We all, as individuals, are infinite… and so are the possibilities of our work.