quintessential senescence

quintessential senescence

(detail) January 2010

nest, sea glass, plaster

full sculpture, from above

plaster detail

This piece is about how things come to pass. It is about deterioration and detriment, of both man and that which man makes. The sea glass were likely mass produced products, products of the industrial age which were worn down, each picked up by my grandmother. The nest I found when I was younger in the summertime, making it relatively older than the sea glass. The plaster was molded specifically for this project, and then crumbled away in a matter of minutes with a mallet and chisel.

In a way, this piece shows three generations. It is an argument between times and between the natural and industrial worlds. I wanted to highlight the insignificance of solidification.

Sculpting implores contact and experience. As one of my few sculptural pieces, I felt connected to the cool temperature as well as the density and weight it carried. I could describe working with it best as an ironically heavy piece of transience.

Kitten I

2" by 2"

kitten sticker and glitter glue on canvas.

January 2010

It's art if art was by definition beautiful, and beauty was defined by myself when I was 7. Specifically.

Photographs from Summer 2009

These digital photographs were taken as an exploration in designed and controlled compositions as well as light and color. They are about attention to detail and perspective, as well as the implied relationships between objects.

Excerpt from Untitled series I

Excerpt from Egg series I

Excerpt from Egg series II

Deer Skull

(detail) Deer Skull January 2010. Oil on wood.

I've been working with this skull for just over a year. I've also been working a lot with bones, and more recently some of my old childhood toys. A plastic gun, a doll, my dollhouse, etc. This is one of the few paintings I've done of the skull without the antlers. I've been putting antlers in a lot of my work.

I did a drawing over the summer of my skull using red, green, white, and black chalk pastels. It was a color study, more than anything, but I (being the obsessive painter I am) added some water to the black and got this fantastic drippy charcoal effect. I lost it. Such is life. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to use similar colors with the same subject in oils.

Here's the full thing...

"I felt all Ansel Adams"

Mount St. Helens and the surrounding area. November 2009. Digital photos.

Stunning. When it comes to photography, I'm much better with micro compositions than sweeping landscapes but I like these. The last one is my favorite; I like how the whole photo is cut in half by the diagonal line. I felt all Ansel Adams.

I love the colossal scale, the simplicity...there are only a few plains in each photo. This place was gorgeous.

Then From The Devil

"And if I am the devil's child, I shall live then from the devil."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

What can I say? I'm a huge fan. This is taken from Self-Reliance, one of my favorite pieces of writing. I thought it was simple and appropriate.

I'm interested in authenticity. Philip Whalen describes poetry as 'a graph of the mind moving'. I hope to illustrate an open, observant and kind mindset translated in words or images.

I've always been told I need to have goals in life. So here goes. I believe it is of the utmost importance to be empathetic, and to try to understand and respect all parts of life and the physical world. My goals extend thus far; gain empathy and understanding for the world in which I live. My vehicle is observation, and my observation is in the form of a pen, a paintbrush, etc. Words and images.

Just wanted to give a little orientation before I delve into my art and writing, and anything I find from others worth relaying.

That's enough for now.