COMMISSION: SALT & LIGHT

A friend of mine asked me to do a commission for her and her husband's library in their West Philadelphia apartment, and of course I was glad to do it. The title for this piece is "Salt & Light", which stems from a Bible verse in the book of Matthew, where Christ is telling his disciples that they are both salt and light of the world. When Christ is referring to salt, he is referring to its ability to preserve; and when He talks about being a light, He says, "A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16). The library in their apartment does not get very much natural light, being that it is closely neighbored by another building, so I wanted to make something that would harvest what light there was, and reflect it for the rest of the room. Painted with an iridescent acrylic, the surface carries a very metallic shimmer, and compliments the coral walls with its light blue-green tint and bright  aqua colored crevasse. In the end, the piece could be a light in a dim place, much like Christ and His disciples in the world. 

Salt & Light, 2013

Acrylic and iridescent acrylic on canvas

37x48"

 

FROM MONTHS AGO

Blue Heat, 2012
Acrylic on canvas

48x37"

This painting was finished months ago along with some other pieces, but I am waiting to get better images of them before I post them. This painting was a bit of an impulsive exercise. More to come soon.

PERSONA: FILM STILLS

 In Ingmar Bergman's existential drama, Persona, two main characters occupy the black and white frame. One of them, an actress that has had a nervous breakdown, riddled with the terrible sense of guilt for her lack of love and affection towards her own child; the other, the nurse that is trying to help. In this film, Bergman draws on the concept of "good" and "evil", and the conflict of human emotions towards these subjects. The characters themselves depict the state of being torn—divided in two—and abiding in a state of introspective madness. 

 

In these stills, the figures occupy a world of black and white, moving to and fro, from being in the light, and then into the darkness. The compositions then are entirely constructed of light and dark, devoid of color, and rely on shade alone for recognition. As stills taken from a time based medium, allowing glimpses into minute details of a moving narrative, the images project beyond the seeming regularity of the acts, and reconstruct another narrative within. Here, the focus remains on the relationship between light and darkness, the interaction of light with the characters, and the trope of film itself as a constructed reality.  Within the narrative of these images is the state of being divided between light and darkness, drawing on what existentialist Søren Kierkegaard called “being of two minds”.  It is in this state, within the film, that the distinction between “light” and “dark”,  and “good” and evil”, becomes blurred, creating a haunting, dismal reality.  

 

 

Curtain

Digital film Still

Dark Figure 1

Digital film still

Dark Figure 2

Digital film still

 Dark Figure 3

Digital film still

 Gazer 

Digital film still

 Horror

Digital film still

 Light & Dark

Digital film still

On & Off

Digital film still

 Machine

Digital film still

Shadow

Digital film still

  Sleeper

Digital film still

U.F.O

Digital film still

COUNTERCONSTRUCTS: MODES OF PAINTING (INSTALLED)

 

                                                              Photo by Emily Rodia

Photos by Lily Kuonen 

Photos by Lauren Moore

OPEN STUDIO

In further news, my studio mate, Justin Rubich, and I will be hosting an open studio on Friday, September 7th, at 319 N 11th Street, on the 6th floor. For more information, click HERE.

CURATORIAL ESSAY

Here is the curatorial essay for COUNTERCONSTRUCTS. Sounds like a show I'd like to see. Take a look!

NEW PHOTOS: NEW WORK

Photos by Matthew Coons

First Efficient Cause, 2012

Latex on canvas and wall

12x12"

Life Line, 2012

Latex on canvas

24x24"

(Life Line detail)

Rise, 2012

Latex on canvas and wall

12x12"

 The Second Day, 2012

Latex and florescent spray paint on canvas

73x72"

 (The Second Day detail)

If B then A, 2012

Spray paint and graphite on paper

22x15"

SHOW DATE: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

In September I will be in another three person show with colleagues of mine, Emily Rodia and Lily Kuonen, at the Herman Maril Gallery at the University of Maryland. Any one who thinks they could attend, should. It will be a great looking show, and I am truly excited to see all our work together. More information can be found HERE.

VIDEO CONTINUED

EXLPLORATION IN VIDEO

I have been dabbling in video a little lately and I have produced these two short films thus far. I have other ones I am working on, but I thought I would post these for now because they are more-or-less finished. They are each three minutes long and show a very still scene from nature, accompanied by somewhat of a dismal droning sound. In these pieces my aims are a few: Firstly it is to touch on the theme of the sublime and the proposition set forth by Kant, that the sublime was something that provokes both joy and some kind of terror, or, as I describe it as, angst. There is this overwhelming feeling when we see certain things, whether a painting, the ocean, the horizon, great colors of the sky, mountains; all these things that produce this feeling of joy and angst, as if our bodies and souls are filled with a gaping wonder and this need for instantaneous knowledge of the thing when we see it.  Yet it does not come. The grandiose awe of the phenomena makes our spirits squirm. That is something I try to touch on in these videos: there is a peaceful and pastoral scene, yet at the same time there is something that makes the viewing feel tense. Which leads to the next objective: Waiting. There are these passages of open sky within the frames, the image of the infinite, nothing and yet  everything all at once, and where the heavens meet the earth. The idea being that there is this longing for the things which lay beyond, and there is this tense waiting and watching, for something to happen, for everything to happen, which in itself holds a beauty, yet is still susceptible to an angst and doubt. The films end without anything seemingly happening, yet what you are watching is everything happening. The world existing in space and in infinity. So simple and yet so complex; and in conjunction, the lens of the camera serves as a metaphor, or parallel rather, of the human eye, and how something so small can perceive so much. 

 

(Headphones help the viewing experience)

GOING

   Latex on linen and wall

12x12"

I am still working on this body of paintings, and I have been really excited about them. The ends for the means of this body of work is for a three person show I will be apart of at the University of Maryland in September, with Lilly Kuonen and Emily Rodia. I am very excited to be exhibiting with these ladies, and absolutely thrilled to see our work together. 

This new painting (not yet titled) is actually the one that started my thinking about this suit of paintings, but was not executed till over a year later. So I have been carrying these ideas with me for some time now. What I like most about this piece is how the form (the cross) is breaking the frame, yet it is "holding" it to the wall, so to speak; and further still it highlights where wall meets painting and visa versa, as the others do. I have much more to say about these paintings, as well to continue my thesis (I have been doing some writing), which I will be posting at a later time.

PROGRESS STILL

Latex on canvas and wall

12x12"

Still moving ahead in this body of work (and I apologize for the terrible images, but it is the best quality image I can get right now. I'll have better ones later on--I promise.) This piece is not yet titled, but eventually I will get down to naming these when I've moved along a bit more and have spent more time thinking on them.

PAINTING DEVELOPMENT : STUDIO SHOTS

 Latex on canvas

24x24"

I'm furthering my experiences in painting and the different ways I can express the specific themes I've been dealing with in my work (e.i. space, time, the infinite, and ultimately questions of origins of both our art/art making, and our universe.) But furthermore, the topic in dealing with these subjects has been the theme of relationship and space particularly.  Relation of the painting to the wall, and visa versa, and we as humans to the universe. One particular question that I keep in the back of my mind and contributes to my thinking of these pieces and in conjunction with relationship is, do I take part in God or does He take part in me? Do I invite Him into my life, or do I request to be apart of His much larger plan. 

These "space" paintings, as I've kind of coined them for myself, are after something in particular, and that is that they are both representative and literal at the same time; and that is something I enjoy working out in my work and find relevant to my faith. These pieces are addressing space both representationally and literally in the sense that there is somewhat of an illusion of deep space within the frame, and at the same time they draw attention to the actual space that we all inhabit in their abject-hood (the minimal qualities of the pieces that declare space.) I equate this relationship to that of Christ, the logos, who was both fully God and fully man: representative of God and God Himself at the same time.

The horizon line is something that I have been using for some time now, and it has a deal of importance to me. In this piece the line/cutout depicted is vertical. But couldn't it still be a horizon? The earth is not flat after all. But the one thing that might be of the most importance is how there is now, with the hanging cutout strip, a factor of positive and negative space,  one thing that, in a sense, creates the other by merely existing (like light and dark,) which brakes the frame in the traditional sense. The line through the middle is mirrored by the hanging piece, and reaches into the beyond. At the same time, and in the back of my mind, the imagery is somewhat reminiscent of a wound and the blood pouring from it, as well as a narrow opening. 

(Note: these are rough images, and I would ask that you disregard the paint on the wall beneath the panting. It is not apart of the piece. The piece is not yet titled.)