My technique is an accumulation of many interests. Painting, photography, and the stippling technique in pen and ink drawing head the list, but not until I had the opportunity to view the dotted dream paintings of the Australian Aborigines, from which my style is derived, did everything begin to gel.
In addition to having taught art history and various studio courses at the high school level, from which I have retired, I also collect masks from different cultures. So it was inevitable that my subject matter would eventually turn in that direction, as it did for Picasso, Braque, Nolde, Klimt, and many others. Even with the implementation of my own approach, I still tried to retain the characteristics of each particular culture by incorporating their designs, colors, and symbols into the work--sort of like my own version of historical fiction, another favorite.
Ceremonial masks are quite fascinating to me. They reflect a society’s traditions and heritage, while at the same time become instruments of transformation which replace the face or soul of the wearer with something more other-worldly.
There are thirty-one pieces in this series that employ a mask theme. Each is enhanced and unified by the application of tens of thousands of beads of painted color. The earlier ones in the series are of acrylic and photo mixed media on illustration board, while the latter ones are strictly acrylic painting on masonite.
I chose “Convergence” as a general title for this series because of all the influences that converge to form one piece: the representative culture; the Australian Aboriginal technique of using dot-shapes; my own western sense of design; figurative and symbolic shapes; and realistic and abstract imagery.
Reminiscent of the earlier works in the series where photo fragments were included, I have chosen to carry on in the latter ones a touch of realism by painting selected imagery within the composition in a realistic manner. This is now becoming somewhat of a trademark.
I stayed with the mask theme for nearly six years, but have recently decided to search out other subject matter--the most recent being landscapes and my NiteLite series, based on blurred photos taken at night. My technique, however, continues on. It is very difficult to establish a truly individualistic style, therefore one should not be so quick to abandon a direction once one has been established. Change will come; it’s inevitable, but it may come abruptly or very slowly. For now, though, I am definitely enjoying the journey.
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