Isolation

One of the first things that Dr. Rodman told us at the very first creative workshop that I ever attended was that the artist/writer was the last person that you ever wanted to ask about their art. They may say nothing or they may speak volumes – either way you will probably get about the same amount of useful information. The problem is, apparently, what the artist is trying to convey, and what is actually being said may be two completely different things. What really matters, at least to me, is the message that someone is actually receiving from my art. But, all that aside – here is what I can tell you about this piece. It is resin, oil paint and glass on wood. The glass is broken and raised above the surface of the painting about an inch, and has the rough idea of brickwork painted in white on the reverse side. Underneath the glass is a seemingly flowing and bubbling rocklike surface that was created by first carving wax into the proper shapes and then adding pure pigments to clear resin and then casting the desired shapes and melting the wax away. The skeletal figure is surrounded by the brickwork and suffocated by the resin. In a narrowing tunnel the outside world can be viewed and in it among other things, a car that the figure cannot drive, people he cannot connect with, and a sense of freedom that he has forgotten.

The ironic thing about isolation to me is that it is something that we all feel at one time or another, to one degree or another. It is a feeling that we all experience, but seldom discuss, almost like it is a cultural taboo. This painting is my way of opening this discussion; I would love to know other people’s thoughts about this subject, or any other for that matter, as well.