Edges

We are living in the most data rich period in the history of the world. While extraordinary human progress has been made since the Enlightenment, it seems that recently so much information is begin generated that we are lost in our ability to absorb and apply it meaningfully. In the search for Wisdom and Truth, there is simply too much noise and not enough signal.
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My latest series of trompe l'oeil paintings addresses this concept through images of vertical stacks of my favorite books seen directly from above. The cropped edges of these texts hint at partial knowledge, creating juxtaposed connections of ideas and flat abstracted planes. Beyond the illusion of these paintings, there lies an awareness of the struggle to find new meaning in the collision of incomplete ideas, both old and new.

Inspired by the color field abstractions of Josef Albers and the 19th century still life paintings of William Harnett, I hope to walk the edge between naturalism and abstraction to explore how access to excess information can often obscure Wisdom and hide Truth.

"Mashup"
trompe-l'œil  paintings

In my paintings, I explore the idea of remixed culture by creating “mash-ups” of art historical references, genres, and techniques as metaphors for personal and social commentary.  By combining various elements, a visual alchemy occurs that creates a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.  
These frenetic works are the chaos that is my life; loose strings of relationships, fragments of ideas, all barely held together by humble materials.  The codes and anagrams hidden in my work add layers of inquiry about our beliefs and the fragile systems upon which they rest.  These works ask questions that do not necessarily have answers.

explorations

My trompe-l'œil paintings take about a year each to create.  In the gaps, these works, some paintings, installations, and digital works are explorations of ideas that run throughout my all my work.  Illusion vs. reality, deconstructions of art history, and the influence of digital media in a post-Internet culture.

decodeRVA

Richmond's identity can be an enigma. The city's past, present and future coexist and collide.  This exciting collaborative and interactive art exhibition, called “#decodeRVA", encouraged the public to literally, "Get a clue.  Decode. Find the key and unlock your Richmond." Via coded artwork, a website,  and hidden clues, husband and wife team, Jeff and Colleen Hall, designed an exhibition where viewers are encouraged to get out and explore the city.   Armed with the clues hidden within the artwork, views can literally discover the city as they search for a key and ultimately unlock and reveal a locked painting.

www.decodeRVA.com

archive

These older work explore my evolution from an mixed media artist to my current trompe-l'œil paintings.  These works also demonstrate an ongoing fascinations with the line between realism and abstraction.