Reflecting

While I didn't set out to make paintings about the crashing of the economy, the paintings from the first half of 2009 have certainly reflected it.

These empty hallways have a story to tell. Their pictures within converse with each other, simultaneously pulling you in and pushing you out. There is a purposeful 'kookiness' to them with their distorted perspective and loose rendering a mild affront to 'civilized expectations'.

Of course, on another level they are continued explorations of picture plane and color theory.

The Hammering, 2009, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches

Emptied, 2009, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches

Herald, 2009, oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches

Floor space

I am adjusting my working methods to the new realities. I had been spoiled before with the option to leave something on the floor, walking around it or simply not going near it for weeks. The floor gods and i were on pretty good terms. Nowadays, anything on the floor is in the way and must be dealt with immediately. Learning new habits isn't easy though. Another difference is going from a slick wood floor to rugs on carpet. There is a stickyness to walking on rugs on carpets. I feel i may trip over myself at times. So it goes.



I also knew that changing my studio space would change my work. Not having the space to set aside and contemplate almost finished work, the next grouping has felt like it was filling a vacuum. In the past, one work flowed out of and responded to the recent and nearby works. The current set of paintings feels separated, revisiting instead an idea that had begun previously. Now it is taking on the feel of the space. The following three paintings are small. Cramped corridors.

Carrot and Stick, 2009, oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches

Interjection, 2009, oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches

Happy Couple, 2009, oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches