Artist’s Statement

Rhythms, patterns, colors and shapes are elements of both music and painting. Art and music are my two passions. If not imagining a visual statement to express upon the picture plane I will have a song in my head or instrument in hand. This body of work speaks of music in vibrant color and lyrical shaping, but the emphasis is the figure entranced in the intensity of personal creation. With the exception of Forty Fingers Boogie, which portrays a wild man I have known, there is no reference to real people or events. These paintings are constructed “snapshots” like the frozen moments of time in our memories after experiencing events such as a concert or nightclub performance. The figures are solid but not volumetric and I do not attempt to describe spatial illusion but instead have flattened the images and pushed the figures off the edges of the canvas to disarm any narrative aspect. The eye is directed back to consider the implied physical energy of the performer, rhythms of brushstroke and patterns of color and shape. ‘The Musicians’ returns me to a favorite theme – the musician immersed in performance.