Words
Several years ago, I returned home to the house where I grew up. Since that time, I have been creating paintings, drawings, and photographs of my 80-year-old father. My recent work strives to balance perceived form with painterly invention developed during the painting process. My color wobbles between bright synthetic hues representative of computer monitors to neutrals that I associate more frequently with Kansas, my father, and his home. I grow attached to a painting process that oscillates between accurate visual representation and invented abstract forms. Shapes come together, forms materialize….then fall apart. As this process unfolds I desire to create a layered accumulation of paint and memories, a woven tapestry that captures a deeper and holistic view of my subjects. I hope to explore the transformation between invention and perception. Often, I feel I fall short of my goal. However, I do believe the record of my effort reverberates with its own psychological strength.
I hope to capture the truth of my father as he is now, because, as my father is fond of saying “The truth is the truth changes”.