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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 that is 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, focusing at this moment on the war in Iraq, that is here to provoke the audience no matter what their beliefs are. 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. LOADED ART! is reacting to our current events, it is art for change not profit. 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 truck onto the highway median unexpectedly in sight of a good found object. Mufflers that have leaped from cars en route and remnants of black rubber blow outs are perfect tactile items to convey the distaste of American foreign policy. I am always armed with grocery sacks and a dirty backpack that will be filled with discarded objects by the end of my travels that day. These objects directly reflect the world 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 a vital part of my working processes as I feel this reflects the no patience themed life we know. To reach that mixed media wall sculpture that conveys raw emotion that 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 in the piece itself should be very apparent. Third Prepare the Assault: I treat my art like any good campaign. Marketing is a key issue in for LOADED ART! Hitting the streets, galleries, museums, indy-cinemas, local retail shops, venues, bars and restaurants any place that will let me post a flyer or an exhibition card to get info out to the public is vital. I have recently been manufacturing LOADED ART! stickers. Free stickers are available upon request or at select galleries currently in Denver, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland and New York City. All these efforts cum full circle with my mixed media wall sculptures that turn up in galleries, museums, collectives, alternative spaces, coffee shops, music venues, bars, and wherever there is a space that I can infiltrate. No space is too far or too small. Hopeful LOADED ART! will be making an appearance at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. 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, Black Blood, and 5W30 depicting US flags with holes blown out of them bluntly hinting at our war for oil, hanging at the Museum of Modern ARF in Arlington VA. 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. And if you can do it in a well respected environment at the same time this adds even more creditability to a piece of work many may find very offending. Even though there were posted signs warning that the exhibition was unsuitable for spectators that may be easily offended the police were still brought to the Museum to calm down individuals that were on short fusses. 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 can together to express their voice just blocks for the nations capitol. Although my work did evoke any police calls this time the war shows got the attention of the press and laid the ground work for future exhibitions focusing on art as activism. I try and seek out juried and non-juried exhibitions that want to make a point, and where commission taken is not the priority. Often this means sacrificing a great space of creditability for an unknown one that may need some volunteer attention. The sacrifices are well worth the effort I have found out. 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 commentary is nothing short of amazing. This event proves that art can and will exist without an anchored home where ever there is a well strong enough. 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. In 2006 the new 75 million dollar wing of the Denver Art Museum had its grand opening and fellow artists of mine were on hand to jack the spectacle. Coming on the tail end of the details of this endeavor I was not a member of BOOM! but I assure you I will be next time. Over a very short period this group rented a 25 foot moving truck and turned into a gallery on wheels fully equipped with white walls and gallery track lighting run on a gas generator. After obtaining permits for 36 hours of parking outside the entrance to the new wing of the museum they opened the rear of the truck and laid out the stairs and a non-stop 36 hours exhibition was open to all who were to attend the museums 36 hour gala. Taking art and your message to the people whether they expect it or want it is a powerful statement. In this case the gallery has become a portable weapon that can strike any where at any time with a little effort and grand vision the vision is limitless. Galleries, collectives and artist get in touch ideas are power and art is powerful. |
Working Process |
| - My work is very process orientated. Sketches are never used. Only when writes block sets in are sketches appropriate to draw through to the next work; but given the current sate of things writers block has seen its own writers block. - 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. 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. My sculptures are almost always created around a series of found objects. BRICOLAGE! BRICOLAGE! BRICOLAGE! - Instant gratification; these pieces are normally completed in 5-7 days. Once a work is completed I am finished with it. The work is no longer mine; it belongs to The Gallery, The Viewer, and The Message. |
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