Divine Hands

There is often a distinction of value when something is made by hand. However, with the use and application of automated production and 3-D printing, the role of traditional craftspeople is called into question. At what point does the integration of economy of scale, efficiency and cost conflict with exclusivity, tradition and culture?

The series is based on the hands of traditional craftsmen and women who still practice their trade by hand. With this series I am attempting to depict the anatomy, age, beauty, muscle development and wisdom as shown in the hands of master craftspeople.

As advances in technology move us further away from traditional highly skilled manual labor, an evaluation of quality, cost, quantity and social value emerges. The intention behind this work is to explore the aesthetic and economic friction within the context of advances in manufacturing for businesses that have produced and revered hand crafted traditions for years.

The Bethlehem Steel Series

From a distance the now defunct blast furnaces at Bethlehem Steel look like a brown and rusting "Oz" but when you get up close, the complex reveals its iridescent and jewel toned color scheme. It's then when you are confronted with irony and ambiguity - that the iconic facility is both ugly and beautiful, a source of pride and regret, a symbol of strength and fragility. While the nation continues to reckon with a once prominent position as a manufacturing leader, opportunities arise to reevaluate that legacy and identity. The rich history and narrative of the iconic company and complex have proven to be fertile grounds to explore the tensions and contradictions between past and present, allure and indifference.

Industria

I paint to learn. Putting brush to canvas serves as a kind of visual interrogation into subjects (including context) that can reveal an unexpected aesthetic. Industrial subject matter is somewhat underrepresented in the visual arts given its impact on our daily lives. The ambiguity of the theme (social and environmental vs. business and prosperity) provokes my inquiries into this less explored arena.

Transparent Reflections

Standing for hours observing intensely, first at the surface and the reflected image, then at the objects that lie beyond. Allowing the eyes to go in and out of focus, selectively isolating pieces of visual information to be able to render them with some degree of clarity. Using this conscious adjustment of the eyes, there is not only a push and pull of how we see but also how the brain registers visual information.

It is a mentally and physically demanding practice to articulate the layers of content. I apply these observations and painting techniques because they are especially suited to subject matter whose physical qualities also carry symbolic meaning. From the mundane to the iconic, the reflected or transparent image can be interpreted in both literal and figurative terms. The possible connotations are as multidimensional as the planes of content represented.

The Hardware

Use of hand tools extends back to the origins of mankind. It is part of the human condition: to marry the use of hands and implements and to reap satisfaction from those labors. Much of modern life however is spent in front of screens. Technology affords us the ability to conduct business, to entertain and to distract ourselves via electronic devices. A mouse click, tap or keystroke flattens and homogenizes what otherwise might be a multi-dimensional sensory experience.

This series, which includes more than 100 works, reflects my preoccupation with objects designed for the human hand. It is an homage to a small town hardware store and a tribute to self-starters and to those who like to work with their hands.