I have just a small moment this morning to post these photos from the show in Jackson, WY. It was GREAT. The opening was a bit slow, but I was so happy with how it came together. It always feels good to step back and look at (and enjoy) a body of work after you complete it. Lyndsay did an amazing job hanging the show (and stretching my 2 larger canvases–thanks Lyndsay!). Also, I was especially honored to show with Katherine Dunn. I have so much respect for her and her work. I fell more in love with her paintings after seeing them in person–she paints from her heart and soul. I am inspired by her playful, unedited voice recorded in her strokes and line.

Plus, I sold some work. It makes me happy knowing someone will be living with and enjoying my paintings…It makes me laugh a little, too, for some reason… I am posting my statement for my show below. It’s always a good challenge for me to write about my work, and I hope it helps you to enjoy it more. You can see the show up-close on my flickr page…For details and pricing, you can call the Lyndsay McCandless Gallery at 307.734.0649.

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Artist Statement 8/2007

In the past 5 years, painting has become my most consistent form of spiritual practice—in part because of the environment of where I choose to live and travel. Northern New Mexico is my home. I lay my head on the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and look out onto a vast, untouched, prehistoric-looking landscape. Nature is my sacred space here, like it has been for Native Americans for thousands of years. It is open and quiet and still, with expansive skies that call me to breathe deep and full. India is quite different, yet it has a similar affect on me. It is home to a culture whose religious faith is evident everywhere you turn. Ancient temples, roadside shrines, holy rivers, and even images of deities painted on walls, create a landscape of sacred spaces. At the same time, excessive visuals, constant sounds and extreme smells over-stimulate the senses. Often during my travels, I fall into a silent reflection while otherworldly, circus-like films move continuously in the background.

In my paintings, I am creating a world inspired from all that I’ve experienced—a world where I can fly and play and find my own truth.

Around the time I began this group of work, our close community lost 4 young friends, all of who died suddenly. A lot of emotions and questions surfaced for me. I meditated on the paths our friends were traveling on in this world, and where they had gone from here. The first 6 paintings reflect these abstract thoughts. They happened organically—a lot of adding and subtracting—much like working with clay. It felt like I was following something until it revealed itself. Layers of collage are in my layers of searching. Although these are more abstract than my previous work, many of the same symbols are present—birds, circus tents, and circular shapes. While these symbols have different meanings for me, in part, they represent the passage of time, choices, transformation, and journeys.

As these paintings evolved, I began reflecting more on the path I’ve been traveling. Temples and tipis merged with tents in my landscapes, joining the worlds of India and Native American land, with my imagination. The paintings became less abstract, and more narrative and grounded, although birds still flew in skies inside temples. The place I ended with this body of work is different from where I started, but for me, they hold the same intention.

Whew! I’m finished! These small collages are the final installment for my show at the Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY. The opening is this Friday, August 3rd, from 5-7 pm. I’m showing with Katherine Dunn, an amazing painter and friend. If you are in the area, please come by! You can view all my work in the show on my flickr page.

I’ll be teaching a workshop at the Art Association in Jackson, August 6-10th. Then I’ll be heading home to meet up with Patrick, Oso the dog, and my brother Joe for a 6-day backpacking adventure in the Latir Wilderness (aka: our backyard)! Yippppeeeee. It will be a much needed (and much deserved) retreat in total beauty.

Just sent off 10 paintings for my show in Jackson, including this recent piece. Such a relief! I feel MUCH less stressed than I have been for prior shows. I’ll have about 16 pieces in total, and as always, I’ll be working up til the buzzer rings.

It’s been really great for me to take this time–it’s been filling my spirit with new breath and opening up new worlds in my mind. Plus, it’s a good balance fro my book/illustration work. I have so many ideas of what I want to explore next…I love that about doing a group of work…how where you begin is a different place than where you end, and the place where you end is an opening for another beginning.

(check out the students’ work in the previous post–i recently added 3 new images.)

42 x 28 inches, mixed media on canvas

This is a new piece I did last week. It’s less abstract obviously, but I like it. I thought a lot about places I traveled to in India and dreams I’ve had. It’s much different than after the first day I worked on it. It seemed too controlled so I covered up most of the initial drawings with collage and paint, alternating between the two. It feels so free to work this way and it builds up the surface allowing interesting things to happen. And I felt like the image seemed to appear more organically.

Here is my most recent painting. I like painting on wood panels, so I tried just tacking a canvas to the wall, to have that hard, flat backing. That way, I could still be rough with it and not get line marks from stretcher bars. This piece is inspired by a small 8×8 inch study I did a few months ago. It’s acrylic, collage, and oil crayon. I used the pallete knife a lot. I’m in love with the texture it creates on top of the collage…and the oil crayon on top of that. (see details below.) The colors aren’t quite right in these photos, but it’s close enough. Boy, painting big is really fun…

After a more focused week in my studio, I have these to share. They are acrylic, collage and oil crayon on wood and on canvas. (Click on an image to see larger.)

I’m definitely still (and forever) searching and trying new things. I have certain thoughts about these now, but I know that will change as I let them sit and begin more. I didn’t have a plan or vision in mind with any of these. I just started with shapes and lines and kept adding and subtracting until something appeared. I think some are better than others. They are small…range in size from 9 x 12 inches to 20 x 20 inches. After these, I want to paint larger, bolder, freer…

I’m trying not to think too much now about whether they work together or not…I just want to keep painting and then select the strongest ten or twelve to show in Jackson.

Like my other paintings, they’re still inspired by many of the same thoughts…journeys, choices, guides, karma, life and death, transformation, connectedness.