This body of work uses drawings and paintings I produce locally or when traveling. They are shown in installations in unconventional or nontraditional ways as a personal narrative affirming the expressive nature of the work and present an opportunity to investigate and experiment with methods of display, challenging the context of a space in relation to the art, and how viewers experience the work, breaking with how representational art is normally exhibited, a comment on cultural and social homogenization. Integrated throughout each installation are references to pop culture (stills from films, TV shows, and advertisements) including books or images related to specific themes within the work such as political images and cartoons or philosophical and theoretical texts.
In the installations drawings in frames or paintings on canvas hang and lean on walls at or below four feet and may be scattered on the floor, works on paper (not in frames) may be taped to the wall, some frames may be empty or broken or the glass shattered, framed pieces or paintings on canvas may be turned to the wall with only descriptive text on the back exposed, work may be completely hidden from view and implied to exist, some pieces may be quick marker sketches of preexisting work. Lighting is usually direct using simple clamp lights or floods the work using led shop lights, an additional method to disrupt the viewing and in some instances designed to intentionally redirect the viewer. The idea is to bring the art down both literally and metaphorically demonstrating it's fallibility and association to the human condition as well as ability to adapt to different environments and situations.
Help Me Joseph Kosuth, You're My Only Hope
2025
Using Joseph Kosuth's piece One and Three Chairs (1965, MoMA collection) as a reference. What Kosuth investigates are permutations of meaning, defining what constitutes an object and what is the basis for something to be valued as art. In my piece the object and additional circumstances surrounding the object presents another level of inquiry. 1) a drawing of the object in a wood frame on top of empty broken wood frames, 2) the object (wood) on top of the drawing, 3) a definition of the object (wood), 4) a photograph of the object on the drawing on top of empty broken frames and a definition of the object. Also available for viewer's to take is an except of Kosuth's Art After Philosophy (1969) that confirms and asks questions still pertinent to how art is viewed, commercialized and consumed. Kosuth's One and Three Chairs investigates meaning in a different way, but I ask Kosuth to help me solve this dilemma of uniting the installation. Here lies the dissimilarity between our work and ultimately Kosuth is unable to solve this problem of defining a single object because the object exists within the context of an expanding narrative requiring an emotive and aesthetic reaction.
Places I've Been, Things I've Seen and Done (Configuration 3)
2024
Over 400 drawings, paintings and watercolors, a performance video of me smashing my framed drawings against the wall in the space, led shop lights and clamp lights, found objects (packing paper, bottles, cans, packing tape, ladder, cooler, chair, moving boxes, etc.), movie stills, and various excerpts from art theory and philosophical texts commenting on art consumption.
What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports is Going on Here?
2024
Using a common pedestal and locating the installation in the middle of the space the theme of the show was about the wild west and how that can be interpreted. Hanging amongst the drawings is a still image of Slim Pickens character from the movie Blazing Saddles and the title is one of his lines from the movie. There remains a misinterpretation of what the American west is about and Blazing Saddles absurdly provides a cliche and humorous misrepresentation.
misPLACEd
2024
Paintings, drawings, led shop light, political cartoons and photographs related to environmental and native American rights, trash you would find in a park, and books on United States law and key figures regarding these rights.
Because memorials, historic civil and foundational buildings and sites, national and state parks are publicly accessible they can become contested places where personal and public rights are symbolically or literally questioned. Sometimes infringed upon and protested. These are places where ideas and respect for what degrees of freedom represent are enacted, especially in relation to who has access and what can and cannot be done in those places.
2024
Over 150 stacked drawings with still images from the TV show I Dream of Jeannie and a video of myself dancing with a framed drawing projected onto a stack of framed drawings to the theme of I Dream of Jeannie.
2023
This small installation used a graphic image of Spicolli, Sean Penns character from the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High. The title is based on one of his lines from the movie. Integrating this type of imagery is meant to lighten the overreaching sense of seriousness and preciousness that art generates.
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