Ripple Effect/Recurrent Series

This is a series of paintings that I have been working on since 2007. It is one of my favorite series and is based on moments (from old or current photos) that I believe everyone can relate to in a basic human way. The paintings and prints in my show Recurrent were an extension of a smaller group of paintings (Ripple Effect) first shown at the Center for Visual Arts in November, 2008. I continued to explore the idea of communicating sensory experiences through images of people doing ordinary things. I was, and still am, interested in emphasizing the energy of an instant and work to give my paintings an emotive quality that becomes as important as the subject matter. Want more explanation? See below. Click on an image to see it larger with captions and prices.

Wildwood
Oil on canvas, 40 x 12 inches
SOLD

Memory and Time

The ancient Greeks measured time in two ways: chronos, defined as sequential time, and kairos, a qualitative type of time signifying “a time in between,” a moment of undetermined length in which something special happens. It is these types of kairotic occurrences that make the ordinary extraordinary and reach beyond literal into visceral. When I look for examples of such unique types of moments in photographs, their qualities trigger an instinctual reaction in which I feel a resonance or recollection of a memory. Memories, much like photos, are similar to a series of captured stills, fading and distorting with time as the mind edits and modifies, accentuating particular details over others. I apply the same process while painting in order to capture and emphasize the essence of a transient experience. Although the paintings are reminiscent of situations that may be specific to me, they could belong to many. By exemplifying the commonality of these moments, I am accessing spiritual and emotional feelings that connect me with others.