Surface and shape are my primary interests in regard to how paintings affect space. I am intrigued by how shape informs space, as well as how paint is applied to surface. I regard surface as being critical. The works titled Dispersion of Seeds #1-#9 are made with Ultralight fiberboard, a wood particle/pulp and glue board. I chose this material because it is easy to shape and is not bound by the conventions of canvas. The works were made over a three-month period. It was cut with a handsaw, some of it was re-sawn multiple times, while other elements received only the initial cuts. The work was then sanded and graphite was applied in various manners. The works are self-referential. They were made within a closed system. Dispersion of Seeds #1-#9 takes its name from Henri D. Thoreau's final manuscript, Faith in a Seed. His last important research and writing project, published 125 years after his death, contains The Dispersion of Seeds, a look at the ecological succession of plant species through seed dispersal. Dispersion of Seeds #1-#9 is not meant to illustrate Thoreau's work in any way. Dispersion of Seeds was chosen as a title because I admire Thoreau's methods and economy of means. I am in awe of his sense of keen observation. |
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Faith in a Seed Faith in a Seed#1-#8 are follow up to earlier works titled Little Birdies#1-#5. Little Birdies and Faith in a Seed works are painted on Ultralight fiberboard, (a woody pulp and glue material). The earlier works had small pieces of canvas protruding from one side. Held up and skewed in perspective the earlier works were drawn from observation on a new piece of 48"x 96" Ultralight, that was divided into 8 equal parts. In the center of each of these 8 equal parts then was a unique drawing of an earlier work. Each drawing was cut out with a jig saw, leaving 8 holes. Random cuts were made between the 8 holes, dividing the number of remaining pieces. The surfaces of the first group of 8 pieces were gessoed and then painted. Remaining pieces were left unpainted. The elements were reconstituted together in groups of two. |
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