A lifelong struggle to remain outside of the sphere of influence.
The influence of drugs.
The influence of sugar.
The influence of social media.
The influence of comfort.
The influence of social pressure.
The influence of wealth.
The influence of desire.
The influence of advertising.
The influence of the marketplace.
This does not mean I live a hermetic life it just means I work hard to remain aware of the hidden motivators.
The Search for Purity
This wary bent could also be called a search for purity. a purity of thought and action. The desire to bring order from chaos can, unchecked, lead to the creation of chaos. That is a road I am well familiar with and yet I will not be afraid to try.
The Painting Process
My painting process begins with chaos, gestural abandon. I then try not to fuck it up too much as I search for an order, a beauty in the marks. It is a hit and miss affair. A lot of experiments run over in to excess but a few sing brightly of a chaotic beauty.
Pollock once famously claimed, “I am nature” and Barnett Newman declared, “Aesthetics is to artists as ornithology is to birds.”
Remaining outside the sphere of influence, while having it’s own rewards, can seem a harsh and lonely place but my constant search for the elegant gesture is often a wonder to behold and always a transcendent pastime.