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Context, Context, Context and Process Notes
Paul Valery once said: The artists whole business is to make something out
of nothing. The power to manipulate nothingness into a meaningful construct
illustrates the ability to transform life itself. Felix the Cat as a popular icon is a
personification of a modern twist on the role artists have occupied for
centuries. Felix Illustrates the image of artists as creators of their universe,
since he edits life by pulling from his bag of magical tricks exactly what he
needs. The bag is a metaphor for the collective consciousness and the
reproduction of the self. I invent absolutely nothing and alter everything.
My oil paintings and computer montages are an exploration of identity,
memory, sensuality and sexuality. The images represent an internal portrait of
the tragedies and triumphs I have experienced. I use highly saturated
colors to create a strong emotional impact in hope of leading the viewer into an
underlying abysmal state. The surfaces are rendered in a representational
style that is expressionistic and magical. My subject matter is humorously
obscene and attempts to penetrate a deeper layer of meaning.
I tinker concrete images into abstractions, and in this manner make the invisible
visible. I find delight in transforming objects which others regard as banal into a
new aesthetic, a very good taste of bad taste. A major theme I explore in the
work is the social value that is attached to commodities in so called high and
low cultures. For example, I am particularly attracted to objects which are
labeled as cheap, campy and disposable; qualities that Chia pets and
Lee Press on Nails share. I recombine the cheap with the chic and a whimsical
self-portrait emerges.
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