'paintings'
Work from BFA Thesis exhibition May 7th - 12th, 2007
This is the abstract from my written thesis accompanying the exhibition:
My work deals with how meaning becomes ascribed to images through the process of perception. Perception is defined as the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting and organizing sensory information. My interest in perception stems from the examining of the ways in which day to day interactions with the physical world and the objects that inhabit it becomes imbued with personal associations through routine. Using the language of geometric abstraction I intend to objectify the arbitrary and subjective nature of the relationships I have to daily routines by creating coded representations of commonplace objects. The objectification of my perception of these objects, places and routines become coded with language by obscuring text with pattern
As signs, the patterns I create function both literally and symbolically. The patterns literally symbolize a representation of formalist painting by referencing the geometric dimensions of the canvas while they also function more iconically in that they reference symbols found on mass produced objects such clothing, envelopes and product packaging. Color functions in a similar way to make references to places and objects I interact with on a daily basis. Color schemes are taken from such things as clothing, magazine covers, cigarette packages, buildings and pills. Combining the literal reference to painting and the iconic references to commonplace objects I intend to create a tension to between the handmade quality of the fine art object and the kitsch aesthetic of mass-produced goods. The statements in my work are fragments from songs that I had been listening to while working in my studio. I choose to use lyrics from the songs that I found myself listening to over and over. Once the words are stenciled on to the painting, relationships can be made with the patterns and colors to enable the viewer to establish a reference point. I am attracted to the appropriation of text because of the connotations ability to shift with each individual who reads the painting.
By combining the literal, symbolic and linguistic messages, my paintings are meant to remain open works; I am communicating a set of signals that are intended to enable the viewer to create their own relationship with the work. Making these connections becomes a process of filtering through the layers of information; I would encourage the viewer to decipher the individual elements while examining the relationship of the paintings to the multitude of information that surrounds them on a day to day basis.
This is the abstract from my written thesis accompanying the exhibition:
My work deals with how meaning becomes ascribed to images through the process of perception. Perception is defined as the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting and organizing sensory information. My interest in perception stems from the examining of the ways in which day to day interactions with the physical world and the objects that inhabit it becomes imbued with personal associations through routine. Using the language of geometric abstraction I intend to objectify the arbitrary and subjective nature of the relationships I have to daily routines by creating coded representations of commonplace objects. The objectification of my perception of these objects, places and routines become coded with language by obscuring text with pattern
As signs, the patterns I create function both literally and symbolically. The patterns literally symbolize a representation of formalist painting by referencing the geometric dimensions of the canvas while they also function more iconically in that they reference symbols found on mass produced objects such clothing, envelopes and product packaging. Color functions in a similar way to make references to places and objects I interact with on a daily basis. Color schemes are taken from such things as clothing, magazine covers, cigarette packages, buildings and pills. Combining the literal reference to painting and the iconic references to commonplace objects I intend to create a tension to between the handmade quality of the fine art object and the kitsch aesthetic of mass-produced goods. The statements in my work are fragments from songs that I had been listening to while working in my studio. I choose to use lyrics from the songs that I found myself listening to over and over. Once the words are stenciled on to the painting, relationships can be made with the patterns and colors to enable the viewer to establish a reference point. I am attracted to the appropriation of text because of the connotations ability to shift with each individual who reads the painting.
By combining the literal, symbolic and linguistic messages, my paintings are meant to remain open works; I am communicating a set of signals that are intended to enable the viewer to create their own relationship with the work. Making these connections becomes a process of filtering through the layers of information; I would encourage the viewer to decipher the individual elements while examining the relationship of the paintings to the multitude of information that surrounds them on a day to day basis.
