Artist's Statement
*This statement applies to the work seen in Gallery I.
I would like to preface this statement by saying that the artwork on this site can be viewed and interpreted in many ways. I do not feel that one needs to read or have an understanding of this statement in order to have an understanding or appreciation of my work. Some feel that the creation of art needs to be supported by a philosophical view, while others feel that a work of art is an aesthetic object that needs no explanation. I lend credence to each of these views.
The Short Version
I hope to convey in my artwork the visual nature of our experiences as they are influenced and confounded by multiple channels of information processing, transient emotional states and cultural distractions and instability.
While I feel that my paintings could be interpreted in a number of ways, I consider two primary interpretations. The first is an interaction of how we process or recollect cognitive and visual information with how we process or recollect emotional information. The second interpretation is this same cognitive/visual representation placed against the backdrop of our fast-paced lives and culture, where it may be difficult to fully perceive or recollect complete, meaningful experiences.
These ideas are conveyed through line drawings, or incomplete depictions of images, placed against abstract fields of color and motion.
The Long Version
After a period of exploration with color and imagery (which can be seen on the Other Work page), I discovered a style that exploited the layering technique that I had been using, while at the same time allowed me to explore the psychological topics that interest me. Visually, this style combines the elements of abstraction with the elements of realism. This is accomplished by representing only the bare essentials or incomplete notions of images and placing them over abstract fields of color. The combination broadens the possibilities of color usage, which is an important element in my work, and creates a unique dynamic and sense of motion as the field of color moves behind and through the image.
From a psychological standpoint, this style strives to capture the way that we process information. It is thought that our brains process emotional information separately from cognitive information. Both types initially pass through the same brain region, but through evolution for the purposes of survival, emotional information is looped quickly into a response channel while cognitive information is sent through additional channels for deeper analysis. The brain must know very quickly if the stimulus is life threatening, but does not need to immediately know specific details. As a result, at the moment of processing a stimulus, you will first receive and react to basic information, which includes emotional information, before truly understanding what it is. Then, the details of the stimulus will be filled in and combined with the emotional information. All of this of course happens very quickly.
The mismatch in the processing of emotional and cognitive information is also seen in memory recollection. For the purposes of survival, emotional information is easier to retain than cognitive information. Factors such as how much time was spent processing the experience, the repetition of an experience and the amount of time that has passed since the experience will affect the degree to which cognitive information is recalled. Details may be lost, diluted, or in some cases, the entire cognitive element of the memory may be forgotten. This could explain why we have certain emotional responses to situations or objects that we fail to understand. It also raises the question of the accuracy of our memories. Is the cognitive information being combined with how I felt during the experience, or how I feel now?
From this perspective, the abstract background of the paintings represents emotional information. This abstract background – moving and changing with the rapid and transient nature of emotion – serves as the field onto which the cognitive information is placed and combined. At the moment of processing and/or recollection, the cognitive information is incomplete – it either needs to catch up to the emotional information or it has been diminished over time – so it is represented as a line drawing, or an incomplete depiction.
This interpretation of the paintings can go beyond the individual to also address our culture and our lifestyles. The gathering speed at which we live our lives and the distractions that surround and challenge us affect the way in which we process and remember our experiences. This is not a statement against progress – progress is inevitable and not new to our time – it is a comment on the brain’s ability to adapt and the effects of its adaptation. The efficient and time-challenged brain will not hold onto “extraneous” details; it will capture only the “gist” of the experience. We will be able to process and retain emotional information, but in order to maintain efficiency in the face of speed and distraction, the cognitive information – the details – may be sacrificed. We face a challenge to fully absorb what we see and to experience something meaningful. From this perspective, amid speed and distraction our experiences and memories boil down to raw, basic information – which in art is the line drawing – combined with the abstract nature of our emotions.
It is my aim to convey through my artwork the visual nature of our experiences, captured as fleeting observations or poetic moments, and then influenced and confounded by multiple channels of processing, transient emotional states and cultural distractions and instability.
I would like to preface this statement by saying that the artwork on this site can be viewed and interpreted in many ways. I do not feel that one needs to read or have an understanding of this statement in order to have an understanding or appreciation of my work. Some feel that the creation of art needs to be supported by a philosophical view, while others feel that a work of art is an aesthetic object that needs no explanation. I lend credence to each of these views.
The Short Version
I hope to convey in my artwork the visual nature of our experiences as they are influenced and confounded by multiple channels of information processing, transient emotional states and cultural distractions and instability.
While I feel that my paintings could be interpreted in a number of ways, I consider two primary interpretations. The first is an interaction of how we process or recollect cognitive and visual information with how we process or recollect emotional information. The second interpretation is this same cognitive/visual representation placed against the backdrop of our fast-paced lives and culture, where it may be difficult to fully perceive or recollect complete, meaningful experiences.
These ideas are conveyed through line drawings, or incomplete depictions of images, placed against abstract fields of color and motion.
The Long Version
After a period of exploration with color and imagery (which can be seen on the Other Work page), I discovered a style that exploited the layering technique that I had been using, while at the same time allowed me to explore the psychological topics that interest me. Visually, this style combines the elements of abstraction with the elements of realism. This is accomplished by representing only the bare essentials or incomplete notions of images and placing them over abstract fields of color. The combination broadens the possibilities of color usage, which is an important element in my work, and creates a unique dynamic and sense of motion as the field of color moves behind and through the image.
From a psychological standpoint, this style strives to capture the way that we process information. It is thought that our brains process emotional information separately from cognitive information. Both types initially pass through the same brain region, but through evolution for the purposes of survival, emotional information is looped quickly into a response channel while cognitive information is sent through additional channels for deeper analysis. The brain must know very quickly if the stimulus is life threatening, but does not need to immediately know specific details. As a result, at the moment of processing a stimulus, you will first receive and react to basic information, which includes emotional information, before truly understanding what it is. Then, the details of the stimulus will be filled in and combined with the emotional information. All of this of course happens very quickly.
The mismatch in the processing of emotional and cognitive information is also seen in memory recollection. For the purposes of survival, emotional information is easier to retain than cognitive information. Factors such as how much time was spent processing the experience, the repetition of an experience and the amount of time that has passed since the experience will affect the degree to which cognitive information is recalled. Details may be lost, diluted, or in some cases, the entire cognitive element of the memory may be forgotten. This could explain why we have certain emotional responses to situations or objects that we fail to understand. It also raises the question of the accuracy of our memories. Is the cognitive information being combined with how I felt during the experience, or how I feel now?
From this perspective, the abstract background of the paintings represents emotional information. This abstract background – moving and changing with the rapid and transient nature of emotion – serves as the field onto which the cognitive information is placed and combined. At the moment of processing and/or recollection, the cognitive information is incomplete – it either needs to catch up to the emotional information or it has been diminished over time – so it is represented as a line drawing, or an incomplete depiction.
This interpretation of the paintings can go beyond the individual to also address our culture and our lifestyles. The gathering speed at which we live our lives and the distractions that surround and challenge us affect the way in which we process and remember our experiences. This is not a statement against progress – progress is inevitable and not new to our time – it is a comment on the brain’s ability to adapt and the effects of its adaptation. The efficient and time-challenged brain will not hold onto “extraneous” details; it will capture only the “gist” of the experience. We will be able to process and retain emotional information, but in order to maintain efficiency in the face of speed and distraction, the cognitive information – the details – may be sacrificed. We face a challenge to fully absorb what we see and to experience something meaningful. From this perspective, amid speed and distraction our experiences and memories boil down to raw, basic information – which in art is the line drawing – combined with the abstract nature of our emotions.
It is my aim to convey through my artwork the visual nature of our experiences, captured as fleeting observations or poetic moments, and then influenced and confounded by multiple channels of processing, transient emotional states and cultural distractions and instability.