Statement

Yetl, Walker Fine Art, February 2012

The most interesting relationships involve conflict. A lack of conflict can signal avoidance of challenge or growth, whereas too much can be damaging. In this body of work I am examining relationships, including my relationship to the creative daemon; which at times is fluid, but can also be fraught with frustration.

The idea that creative insight or genius is a fickle and separate entity that resides outside the artist dates back to ancient Greece. The creative process is a balance between utilizing experiential knowledge while allowing for openness to insight that visits from a place that cannot be explained. Yetl is a raven in Native American mythology whose role is as messenger from the gods. He is known for his mischievous and unpredictable character, very akin to Creativity.

The paintings begin as spontaneous collages with imagery mined from Art in America. In cutting up artwork published in the magazine and incorporating the found images into my compositions, I am exploring my relationship to artists that have received recognition in the art world while examining my own anxieties around perceived success.

Within each collage there are a number of possibilities. I crop, rotate and edit digital images of the work, creating sketches for larger paintings. This relationship between designing with technology and the more traditional method of painting on panel is back and forth, each influencing the other.

Ultimately the purpose of the process is to create dialogue, an essential element in a meaningful relationship.