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Painting American Landscapes in 1998 is much more difficult than painting at the turn of the century, when a wave of optimism permeated the land. In the last great wave of American painting, artists concentrated on portraying the sublime, the endless bounty and the sheer expansiveness of the American west. It was truly a dream time in American history.
Capturing the flavor of 1998 is a different situation altogether. There is very little true wilderness left and economically the ground has been shaky. In my work, I’ve always been a recycler to reflect traits of thriftiness and ingenuity, which I believe are needed for the current climate.
The waterfall paintings were painted in Ithaca, NY, which in the 20's had been the center of the silent film industry. These waterfalls were actually featured in the early Tarzan and Jane flicks as well as being stage sets for silent shorts like “The Perils for Pauline”. The wedding dresses are recycled. Metaphorically they emphasize the great leap of faith required in matrimony and the coinciding feeling of uneasiness or state of unrest. These works aren’t merely intended to anesthetize.
The landscapes on log slices also have an ominous edge since imbedded in them is the metaphor of “slicing up” the wilderness. However, what is optimistic about these works that the wood slices have been recycled from a giant Douglas backyard in Nyack in 1993. The recycling aspect is crucial to the artist’s intent.
The most optimistic of all the works in this exhibition are dated 1998 and are from the “Pretty Dot” series painted in Wyoming from the back of a pick-up truck in plain air. In these works, animals, humans, and the “living” are rendered on saw blades surrounding the polka-dotted paintings, which are themselves devoid of inhabitants. This separation might spur speculation on what is endangered. Metaphorical, the polka-dot motif itself could seem limitless—like bullets, punctuation end points, or a bombardment of some mysterious nature. It is definitely an intrusive element on the landscape, which coincides with how this artist views our culture.
There are inherent ironies painting landscapes in our times, which I always hope to portray with a certain humor. It’s like Georgia O’Keefe said, “Why just paint a flower, it’s already beautiful?”
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