ARTIST STATEMENT

Currently, I am involved in a pop influenced expressionism series. The sources for this series come from magazines, newspapers, and catalogs. It is a reflection of the "cheesy" portrayal of people in the media. We see many of these characters everyday. So much so, that they enter our mind and get stored away without realizing it. By transforming the image in the ad, I hope to make it interesting. The painting style used is my interpretation of energy, an energy trapped up inside with no place to go; it its the feeling you can't let loose because of the masks the media has told you to wear.

I prefer a painterly rather than linear technique. My shapes are modeled with color instead of detailed underdrawings. The color in these pieces focus on contrast. The intensity contrast of red next to black - or - green slashed on white. Also, by using complimentary colors more contrast is created. I prefer to paint on masonite or wood for one reason. Canvas gives and bounces, masonite takes what you give it. I can paint and slash as hard and fast as I want.

I am influenced by the abstract expressionists (Pollock, de Kooning) when slashing up the flat areas with color. By treating an area (i.e., shirt or sleeve of a coat) as an abstract painting, the complete image has more power. Also, more contrast is achieved with the thin underpainting versus the juicy color slashes. I am sometimes influenced by shadows in where I place color slashes, the rest of the time it is simply because it looks better with color there.

Another focal point within the works is the contrasting geometric backgrounds. Some background shapes refer to the content of the piece in either a direct or Freudian way. They fill the backgrounds forming a complete image. This further enhances the idea that these character types are portrayed as complete and dynamic people. Leaving open space would suggest there is something beside the flat "what you see is what you get" portrayal of character.

maintained by Bob Belt, belt@art.net Copyright(c) 1996.