There are many ideas that go into art. In my case, I often work with sociological and theological ideas. My art has metaphorically dealt with issues such as social grouping, the concept of race, the nature of virtue, reason and knowledge and the relationship of choice to providence, among others. While all the issues I deal with are dear to me, and I believe of great worth, what unites my art are not the metaphors I use but the form: the line, the color, the texture.
Line has always been central in my work. Early on it was simply a tool in drawing and my early paintings were little more than drawings in paint. But, as my art became more sophisticated so did my use of line to the point where in the Virtue series a single line is the entire composition or in the Collaborating with Providence series the stark black line becomes a point of subtlety with significant metaphorical thrust.
I almost laugh when I think about my use of color. My color sensibility has been described as anywhere from “ethnic” to “sherbet” and “candy”. There is no doubt that color is important to my work. It provides energy and an overt beauty. Artists often avoid the saccharin sentimentality of the pretty. But, the result is a fear of beauty. There is virtue in beauty. It has the power to transcend the mire of the world in which we live and reflect what is beyond. I want to claim that power.
People often ask if they can touch my paintings. There is a tactility in my work. The drips or glass beads or wax-like surface seem to call to people's fingers. But, the draw goes beyond the surface to the interior texture of the paintings which are built through many transparent layers. The visible physical depth, the literal history of the work invites the viewer, asking them to participate.
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