Artist Statements

Black and White Series

In our lives we make many marks, some with our words, some with actions but all have a lasting impact on those around us. This series is a challenge to humanity and more specifically to myself, to make marks that are positive, honorable and brave. To make marks for the good. To make marks that we will be proud of now and in the years to come. Because every mark matters!

Color Field Series

My large scale Color Field Paintings speak of the vastness that surrounds us all. Though we may only play a small part in this existence, still, whither metaphorically, emotionally or actually, it is possible to have a great impact on those around us. I find it enjoyable and therapeutic to lay out a surface with segmented bands of color. The interplay is fascinating and pulls me into the work. Scratching marks into the wet paint with a variety of nontraditional tools further enhances the experience. The marks are not readily seen till the viewer comes closer to the work making for pleasant surprises and a more intriguing interaction. This is so like you and I when we meet. As we open up to one another often we find there is much more going on than we first realized. For further information on the historical aspects of Color Field Painting go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_Field

Window Series

This work is symbolic of humanity and the portals of our hearts and minds.
Each image is an expression of a poem I wrote concerning these windows of our lives. In that writing the answer to the stated dilemma is that God will come, no matter what, and rescue any and all that cry out to him! Our windows will always be there yet how we look at or through them is continually changing.

In the Windows 1 series, the marks are layered together using watercolor pencil, watercolor crayon and acrylic paint on canvas or oil pastels and oil paint on board. In the Windows 2 series there is a single window in which modeling paste or sgraffito technique is employed to convey the personal and political turbulence within our society.

Key Series

Keys lock us in, others out, start our car or lock a diary, can be shared or protected, be lost or found. Keys are symbolic of power, safety, success, hearts, minds and of sexuality. This body of work explores many story lines that are at times extremely personal, while others, like the key itself, are more universal in application.

The work is comprised of mixed media collage with found objects on varying hard surfaces such as wood panel, cement board or canvas board. Each piece is playful and loose in construction yet relies heavily on the juxtaposition of compositional elements for the message to be conveyed.

Stigmata

Christ was marked with our sin. You could say he was stigmatized or that he endured the stigmata. The Stigmata series is passionate imagery in abstract form portraying the crucifixion of Christ.

Acrylic on canvas with sgraffito technique.

Life Cycles

We mark cycles and seasons of our lives with calendars, clocks, births and deaths.
There is no way to avoid the impact of our cyclic existence.

This reality stimulates and intrigues me as an artist. The Life Cycles series explores the movement and interplay of these passing moments. This series has several design layouts each usually incorporating circular forms. One composition utilizes three small circles on the left representing the belief we are all triune beings made up of Spirit, Soul & Body, there is a larger circular image to the right standing for the whole of who we are individually or collectively as the human race. In another version of the series I segment the surface into four areas implying changing seasons. Much of the materials utilized are recycled and reclaimed which speaks to our fragile and temporal existence here on Earth. Truly we are all in this together…so let’s make the most of our time!
Picture the cycle of blood flowing within your own body…
Always moving and constantly changing…
Listen to your heart beat, feel it pounding out the cycles…

I believe Art can help us connect with who we are.

Verbal Abuse

Verbal abuse is a worldwide plague affecting the core of society. This series brings attention to that plight and speaks out on behalf of others who cannot or will not.

These are social statements created using acrylics and mixed media collage with found objects. Like the act of verbal abuse, there are many dual messages and hidden meanings in the voices that cry out from the art. Will these voices be heard before it is too late? Only time will tell.

Self Inflicted Wounds

I believe we hurt ourselves far more than anyone else possibly could. These works reflect a mixture of experiences that have brought pain into my own life. It is not that I enjoy suffering, but more that on occasion I have just been foolish. Creating the art helps me realize how much more I desire and prefer healing. Yet the learning process continues.

Oil, acrylics, mixed media collage with found objects, glitter, thread, yarn and textiles on hollow core doors, board, canvas and paper are all utilized to explore the wounds.

Dream Series

These images are emotional self-portraits that illustrate how I often feel trapped in an ongoing dream existence. I am lying helplessly with the covers pulled up tight, sometimes I wish the dreams were real and other times that I could only wake up!

The sensation of being awake or asleep seems to blur for me at times. Often when working in my studio, my mind drifts into what I call The Zone, where everything ceases to exist except the interaction with my art. Now that is a good dream!

The Dream Series is created using a wide variety of materials including oil or acrylic on canvas and watercolor, colored pencil or ink on paper.
(shhhhh... I’m sleeping)

Floral Series

One great joy of my early childhood was helping my grandmother, Linda Chandler, tend her lush flower garden. Because of her I love everything about flowers! The images I produce are not usually meant to portray a certain genus but are representational abstract forms. Often I use rich impasto marks applied with palette knives to have the flowers pop off the surface. Makes me want to take a sniff and see if they have supernaturally gained fragrance! The world is such a better place because of flowers!

To create my floral images I usually work in oil or acrylic on canvas or panel, textiles collage, sheet metal or ceramics.
Enjoy!

Photography

Many interactions around subtle artistic expression functioned to prepare my heart for the first truly deep and passionate love affair of my life. Still, there was no warning that in March of 1959 when I received my first camera, a Kodak Brownie, that I would be smitten to the core. But instantly I was swept away into a dream like world of creativity and inventiveness. Photography became and continues to be the most powerful influence on all my creative endeavors. I have great pride in being a Photographer and spent many years as an active member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). Both 35mm film and Digital equipment are used. And although I’m trained as a Graphic Designer, I prefer natural lighting and the challenge of incorporating only what is captured, without alteration or manipulation. On the other hand, I find photography lends itself to a myriad of creative opportunities. Combining found objects, paint and imagery on the same surface is a favorite creative process. In this area Robert Rauschenberg has been a huge influence. Capturing moments… Waylaying time… ya just gotta love Photography!!

Black Water and White Water

The Black Water series is in Sculptural Relief, using twigs as a metaphor for humanity. As we float through this vast cosmic existence we impact the lives, positions and situations of all those around us, just as pieces of wood drifting along in the currents of a stream. Twigs of Chinese Elm are gathered, dried and adhered to the surface of hollow core doors using modeling paste. The process is quite laborious as the twigs are like lines in a drawing, each placed with consideration of its angle and thickness.

Pumice Gel is applied to open areas for the gravelly textural effect and then several coats of black acrylic paint are brushed over the entire surface. Chance and the unknown are represented in the intriguing and mysterious Black Water.

Sculpture

When I was a young boy my Grandfather, Ernest Chandler, took time to share his knowledge of wood carving. He taught me how to handle and care for a knife with respect and safety. This laid a foundation for my life long interest in sculpture. Whither it be working with wood, metal, ceramics or found objects, hand building Three Dimensional or in Relief, his loving instructions guide me on. Since 1971 my main sculptural endeavor has been creating Mobiles (Kinetic Sculpture) in the style of Alexander Calder. Calder’s chosen material was sheet metal but I, up until recently, utilized Balsa Wood. My current series is made with hand formed Ceramics.
I believe Art is a wonderful tool that God uses to bring people together. Too many things in life try to push us apart. It is my hope that just as Grandpa and I were drawn closer through the creative process that my art will have a healing positive impact in the world.

Poetry

Words continually fascinate me! They are such an art form unto themselves! That groups of people all over the world have decided these small graphic marks make up letters and the letters words when they are simply an assorted gathering of jots and titles, slashes and squiggles… and then add the sounds! Ha! All the guttural inflections come together and we have chosen to accept this as communication! It all just blows my mind!

I’ve been writing poetry since the age of fifteen, which would be 1965. Words have always been important to me, especially the Written Word. I believe this excitement has been stirred in part by the fact my Grandfather could not read or write. Somehow I’ve wanted to make up for his inability. Also my mother, Virginia, would read poetry and stories to me using appropriate character voices that made it all so real. Later in life when in school for Graphic Design at North Idaho College, Joe Jonas was then head of the Art Department. He was an old school professor trained in Hand Drafting before the computer age. He instilled great respect and appreciation for the beauty of making simple marks. Along with being a Poet and Lyricist I tend to incorporate Text in much of my visual art work often scrawling single words on the surface or even entire poems. The process is not set in stone as at times I will write a poem then a series of visual art will come out of it (as in the Windows series) or create visual art that leads me to write poetry further expressing the creative thoughts.