If I could put my thoughts into words I wouldn’t be here. I am dependent on a visual language for coherent communication. Through my work I try to demonstrate that the creative process is nothing but the ability to form connections between previously disengaged things. Collage as a medium, is representative of this process.
The fusion of other people’s images and words (found imagery and unaltered comic book dialogue), through personal intervention, emphasizes the idea of originality as connection. Through the use of humor, irony and exaggeration I highlight everyday moments in order to frame them with my own commentary/ critique. The characters and settings I create give voice to my internal conversations while perhaps as a side effect, addressing questions and comments to the audience. It is for this reason that this body of work is called 'Conversations'.
I surround myself with a chaos of images and words, thriving in an environment where I can create haphazardly and quickly. Some concepts (connections) are available to be used in a composition immediately, while others sit, fermenting.
The work exists on two levels. The first is a small-scale three-dimensional collage and the second an enlarged print. The small-scale works are all approximately 8.5” x 4.5” and at such an intimate size allow the viewer hold the entire piece within the same eye-line. They serve as a source for large prints at 22” x 44” which are certainly not as private, but rather achieve a visual impact that is propagandistic. At the large size, the compositions demand a more analytical, detailed viewing.
Symbolism plays an important role in my work. I rely on iconic imagery that aids the viewer in making allegorical connections. Simultaneously, the use of comic book dialogue, being very stylized, as well as dramatic in nature, helps to propel every composition into the realm of hyper-reality.
