The Black Painting Collage

It is a strange life, when I consider it, how I struggle to attain strength and clarity, to mold base materials into forms that will express me and my attitude, my joy and appreciation. I work alone, who cares if I produce anything or not, or if anyone appreciates it? Still I believe a good thing will not perish. My paintings are landscapes for the viewer to enter and explore, decoding the meanings behind combinations of clippings and colors, challenging them to understand the association between juxtaposed elements and phrases. I am motivated by the challenge of defining areas of vast space, and the struggle to express my most inner thoughts and ideas to the viewer. I collect printed materials gathered over a lifetime by myself and others; a newspaper clipping from the Moon Landing my grandmother saved, a flyer from a show I saw in Toronto, or a ticket stub from a movie with someone I loved. Materials layered like paint through a collage technique I have been developing over the years using acrylic paint and a variety of stains, glazes, and pigments made from dirt and ash on masonite canvases, or parts of barns and houses. These materials were taken from an old family farm on Gumlick Road in Roanoke, Kentucky, the objects I've found there, the buildings, and the land itself have provided a great deal of inspiration to me. Trying to understanding how this land and the lives of my ancestors has created the person I am today and working on the same ground as my fathers is very important to me. My work is presented to you as a documentation of my attempts to express myself and my attitude, my joy and appreciation, my relationship to the past and others, and my purpose.
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