Abstract Ideology
My primary influence for spatial conception comes from the Eastern 'void'. In the void, space is animated through marks laid down on the surface, bringing the space alive. Drawing into paint has been a recurrent technique in my work. Particularly drawing with graphite and charcoal into gouache or oil. Through a combination, and contrast, of texture and color, I build my abstract rhythm. The rhythm relates to the interconnectivity of it all.
Figurative Ideology
Since 1988, the human figure has dominated my subject matter. The face, more precisely, mirrors the intellectual and spiritual responses of our human experience. My painting deals directly with emotion, as I present individuals by prying into their character and psychology. Combining bold color in broad forms with line contour (often drawn in chalk, pastel and charcoal), I present figures who have touched my life in an emotional, visual or musical context. Liberation of brushwork, resulting in my large scale of painting, is an essential element to my technique.
Starting in 1990, portraits of musicians began to surface in my subject matter. During this time, I was constantly among performers. There is a strong correlation between my approach to painting and improvisational jazz, bebop, which was innovated by Charlie "Bird" Parker in Harlem around 1945. The strength of my work lies in the spontaneity and immediate gesture of the mark. On "Kind of Blue," Miles Davis took musical sketches into the studio to record, not writing any music down because he wanted spontaneity. This approach is the soul of bebop. Space (in the form of raw canvas) plays an essential role in many of my compositions as in various jazz improvisations where silence lends emphasis. |
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