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| LOADED ART! |
| First State Your Mission: I see my art as a weapon; a visual stance against the current state of affairs in the U.S. and abroad. Using any artistic means necessary I carry out acts of political and social awareness loaded with protesting messages. Equipped with the ever-growing abundance of wasted materials (found objects) that make our environment I seek out the discarded to create the new in order to interpret the current. LOADED ART! is a reconstruction of current events. I am looking to recreate that dialog that exists between a bystander and a throbbing mob. I do not want to hang things on the wall; I want to put things in your face. Think-React-Change…LOADED ART! is art for change not profit. I am not hear to make money off of my art but to enjoy the experience of creating it and the environments it takes me to and the people the I meet.t. Second Mobilize Your Assets: I am always on the hunt for materials to convey the message of LOADED ART! It is not uncommon for me to veer my pickup onto the highway median unexpectedly in sight of a must have object. Black remnants of tire blowouts -I think car bomb in the Middle East. Worn out mufflers lying in street gutters – I think oil consumption. A rusted sheet of metal in a vacant lot – I think tear down the old and make way for the new. These objects directly reflect the world and the state of things which I am commenting on. The process of Bircolage, seeing what works and what doesn’t without a preconceived notion of the final piece is the assemblage manner in which I work. To reach a piece that conveys intense emotion and will evoke discussion and possible action I will try anything once. It is important to use elements of a well know nature in society, but to dismantle them in a specific way in order to achieve a new message which may appose the very idea of that item. Juxtaposition and conflict should be orchestrated harmoniously against one another in each composition Third Prepare the Assault: I treat my art like any good campaign. Marketing is a key issue; use what you have and know; contacts, make new ones, and help those that help you. Hitting the streets, galleries, museums, indy-cinemas, local retail shops, venues, bars and restaurants any places that will let me post a flyer or an exhibition card. To help fund art for change not profit I have buttons, shirts, and patches available for purchase at diy prices. And when I do not have work up around the nation I and constantly involved in my own sticker campaign. These stickers are also free upon request or at select galleries across the U.S. No space is too far or too small for me to hang a piece of work. I would rather have my work displayed even if for only one individual’s eyes than collecting dust in my studio waiting to hear from the next juried show. Fourth Watch the Mayhem: During the 2004 Presidential elections the police were present to control the emotions of spectators viewing two pieces I had on display at the Museum of Modern Arf outside DC, Black Blood, and 5W30 depicting US flags with holes blown out of them bluntly commenting on our war for oil. DC can be a high tension area especially around the Presidential elections. This is a great place and time to push people and confront them with a visual stimulant beyond their confront level. The exhibition titled Breaking the Silence, Question Power Now More Than Ever was one of six War Shows targeted at the current state of the US Government at this time. Across the river the Warehouse Gallery on Capitol Hill boasted a 2nd war show titled War & Peace. A conglomeration of anti-war artists came together to express their voice just blocks for the nations capitol. These shows received press attention and laid the ground work for future exhibitions focusing on art as activism which I am still currently involved in around the county. I try and seek out juried and non-juried exhibitions that want to make a statement, and where commission taken on sold work is not the priority. Often this means sacrificing a great space of creditability for an unknown one that may need volunteer attention; though the sacrifices are well worth the effort. In late 2004 I was able to here about an incredibly powerful event called ArtOmatic. This is the east coat’s largest all artist volunteer driven collaborative event involving more than 700 artists under one roof. The shear energy of taking over a space of 100,000+ square feet and turning it into a leaving breathing building of visual art is nothing short of amazing. This event proves a local art scene is only as good as the artist involved. With more that 70,000 visitors during the one month exhibition I urge anyone in the DC area or traveling there to get evolved or at the very least check this event out next time it makes its appearance. DNC 2008 Denver, numerous events took place and every one of them left out the local artist. It was here that BOOM! made its 2nd appearance. It took us two long evenings to turn a 26 foot Ryder rental truck into a mobile art galley complete with white walls and a generator to run the gallery lighting. The 12 artists of BOOM! took our art to the streets and the people of the DNC refusing to be shut out of our own city and scene. The response was very positive and culminated at the Manifest Hope show and concert with Ron English and Shepard Fairey. You can see some images here http://boomdenver.com/. During our 10 days of artistic mayhem in a truck we had black anarchist to senators come through, even Nancy Pelosi took a chance in the truck. Taking art and your message to the people whether they expect it or not it was a powerful means to be heard. Though the police were friendly for the most part we did have bomb sniffing dogs give us a once over. In this instance the gallery became like an armed tank setting up a conceptual battle ground wherever we rolled up. |
Working Process |
| - My work is very process orientated. Sketches are almost never used. Creating a piece is a process of trial an error seeing what works and what doesn’t until a conceptual message is arrived at through a strong composition that holds the viewer’s eye. BRICOLAGE! BRICOLAGE! BRICOLAGE! - Artistic influences include; Richard Serra for his use of raw material, Francis Bacon for his isolated subjects, Rauschenberg for his collage expertise, Ralph Eugene Meatyard for his apocalyptic backdrops and figure juxtapositions, Warhol for his exploitation of consumerism, and Banksy’s stenciling commentary. My construction process has been called the broken hand of Louise Nevelson, while my working style is pure Pollock. - My work would not exist without the common disregard of materials. Scrap yards and dumpsters and local train yards are constantly scoured for usable materials. Found objects are rich in abuse and history and best of all free. My sculptures are almost always created around a single or series of found objects. Although the themes stay consistent in my work it is not until the piece has been completed that I come to a final conclusion of the conceptual meaning. - At any one time I will have 3- 12 pieces in process working on one while the other dries and vice versa. I can complete a show in about 1 month. This allows me to create a large ongoing body of work while not becoming attached to any piece. The work is about the message and the experience, once is it completed it is no longer mine; it belongs to The Gallery, The Viewer, and The Message. |
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