The following is an excerpt from an invitation-only exclusive art talk and exhibition preview event from December 6, 2018. I discuss, among other things, the inspiration behind my upcoming show on January 11, 2019, entitled ‘Virgin Land: Myths & Narratives‘. Tonight I’m here to talk to you about narrative, about how it affects the course of our lives and why… Read more →
Virgin Land: Myths & Narratives is an exploration of the mythological canon of the American West. The title reflects a mindset that helped fuel westward expansion, an image that depicted a vast territory teeming with unclaimed resources ripe for the taking — a veritable Eden-like wilderness ready to be conquered and brought to heel. It was the land itself that… Read more →
The following article was originally published in the Lander Art Center‘s Fall 2018 newsletter featuring my status as the new Artist in Residence. While my background is certainly eclectic (I’ve designed costumes for the stage, created 3D models for hydraulics engineers and researchers, produced concept art for video games, inked comics, designed posters, and pitched an original animated series to… Read more →
Imagine for the moment you’ve just taken your seat in a packed stadium, about to see your favorite band perform live alongside thousands of other excited fans. Or imagine you’re at the Louvre and you just entered the room displaying the Mona Lisa — feel that electric energy pulsing out from the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd? Or maybe you’re watching a rendition… Read more →
The Greater Sage-Grouse are upland birds unique to North America, known for their elaborate mating dances and entirely dependent on sagebrush for survival. Due to the “loss and fragmentation” of its sagebrush habitat the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined in 2010 that the greater sage-grouse was warranted for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The sagebrush ecosystem supports a… Read more →
The eye, the organ by which the world is seen, has long held an elevated place in collective mythology. Recall the eye of Horus, commonly represented with a spiraling line below it like that of a hawk, who soars above all and sees all. In some spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, the eye (known also as the third-eye) represents the… Read more →
This still-life gave me a new appreciation for the American Buffalo. The bison skull used as a model in this painting was borrowed from a local blacksmith. It so happened that the skull was the very first bison skull I ever had close contact with. Lifting it was in itself a workout, heavy and unwieldy as an unbalanced kettlebell. The… Read more →
‘Astral Crown’ was the result of my hearing the American Indian story of Sky Elk, an elk who found respite from relentless pursuit by jumping into the heavens. The final painting is a commentary on mythology and an inquiry into modern perception on nature, tradition, and the sancrosanct, all of which are under intense pressure from our technological society and… Read more →
While discussing the power of storytelling and the tradition of rites of initiation with Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyer, in ‘The Power of Myth’, asks whether movies today have replaced the ancient rituals wherein the young are given instruction in the mythology of the tribe. Campbell agrees, but offers the following reflection. “That might be our counterpart to mythological re-enactments –… Read more →
If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth. -President John F. Kennedy Having the freedom to create is harder than you think. It’s not as… Read more →