As I mentioned in part one, I was still trying to figure out who I was artistically. I think this is common enough, but in this case I was trying to define myself in terms of the word artist. It is perhaps cliche that I, like many artists, constantly struggle with the idea that we are not what we claim. At any moment we will be exposed as frauds and exiled from our passion.
Having always felt like too geeky for the artists and too artsy for the geeks I always felt that I was in the way and that made me feel cramped. This gave me a strong mental image. I let it develop over a summer period devoid of "art". It was the first thing I drew when I returned to school that semester, and it sparked my greatest output in any particular style. When my very artsy design major roommate would see these he would tell me "You finally found your style".
2000-2002 and a bit from 2005
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| This image was in my head for months, maybe years. Waiting for a level of technical sophistication to be emancipated from my cranium. |
After a handful of pieces were complete the "cramped" theme became less interesting. I was using ink and conte and just drawing whatever image happened to be floating in my mind while I sat in my studio.
During my senior review, a professor I did not know from class or personally, would suggest that I should read Carl Jung, suggesting that each drawing was essentially a self portrait regardless of content.
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| When I drew this, I honestly did not know it was a drug reference, though I'm sure the phrase was bouncing around in my head when I decided to add the salt shaker. |
Many of the works appeared in my one and only art show "Paint Chip Beer and Chilled Monkey Brains" which my good friend and classmate Jordan Witkov and I hosted at The Frame Gallery.
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