The engineering of art

I am honored to have my work included in this group exhibition organized by the Chester a County Art Association.

“The Engineering of Art”  

group exhibition

Henry Gallery

Penn State University, Great Valley

January 13th- March 14th

Tribute

Tribute

"Tribute" is the title of my solo exhibition at the Eastburn Gallery at Cairn university.

Though i may not mention it often out right, i am a christian.  While I would not consider myself to be a model Christian, my beliefs do play a major roll in the creation of my work.  I do not usually make this overt to avoid inhibiting the viewer's personal relationship to my work. 

Many years ago, the first college that i attended was Philadelphia Bible College.
At 18, I wasn't quite sure what i wanted to do with my life, but i knew that i wanted to know more about and wrestle with my faith.  PBC  was academically and spiritually challenging. It was a good experience for me.

At the end of my freshman year, however, i found out that i could no longer afford to attend a private college and i was pretty sure that i wanted to go to an art school. This was a step out into a big, new and scary world for me.

I scheduled a meeting with the dean of academics.
I knew he loved art, he knew me and i had great respect for his opinion.
He encouraged me to follow my calling in art. 
He was one of the few who did so at the time.

I have been grateful for his encouragement ever since.

When i was approached about doing a solo exhibition on campus recently, i jumped at it. Now, 16 years later, that dean has become president, PCB has become Cairn University and I have spent almost half of my life pursuing my career in art.

How wonderful to go back to where this all began.  Ironically my work over the past year has been reflective of the experiences I've had since that time.  These ventures into adult hood and being a professional artist have included many struggles and a wealth of stories. 


My exhibition statement for the the "Tribute" exhibition:

In my studio, I wrestle with my paintings as I try to express emotions from the experiences of my life.

I aim to convey the raw feelings of my struggles contrasted with light and hope.  I do this in an abstract way so that they may be personally interpreted by the viewer.

I am inspired by the broken and forgotten things I observe around me.  Images of such things often find their way into my work, but recently I have begun to use them more specifically.  Seemingly random objects that have personal significance are used in my Reliquaries.  The remains of my beloved garden have become the foundation of my Odes. Photographs of abandoned structures that intrigue me are the base of my Lost series. 

I identify with these broken and abandoned things.  I have felt alone, fallen into sin and faced great struggles, but God has continually met me in his grace and the knowledge of his greater purposes for my life. 

I long to show the beauty in the struggles of life.

These paintings are a confession of experiences and a tribute to Gods faithfulness.

The exhibition is up until early May.

Artist reception to be announced soon.