What is the saying? Sometimes you have to retreat to advance…I feel like I’ve spent the last two years in the studio without much time on the street exploring and finding images for my paintings.
Those two years were hardly wasted. I’ve used the time to explore abstract painting techniques, playing with texture, color and material in ways that I never would have imagined. I worked on large scale pieces that would have overwhelmed me a few years ago. It’s been a rich and at times frustrating journey and now I am back doing what I know best, only with a twist.
Perhaps it was my strict photojournalism training that drove me to only use my original (usually unaltered) photos. As I started hitting the streets again looking for images I realized my imagination always takes me to the past. I picture who walked those streets before me. What was the neighborhood like 50 years ago. What would those people think if they saw their neighborhood today. And it clicked…I need to translate those thoughts to the artwork.
So, now, I’ve started gathering vintage images to add to my work. I think it adds another dimension, visually and conceptually, often with a dash of humor. I hope it makes you smile too.