This painting is inspired by ideas of duality, moral philosophy, and the subtleties of communication with other realms namely through prayer and meditation. I am currently writing a book that delves into distilling voices of reason and virtue from those of shadow and temptation. An except that relates to the painting is as follows:

“What is the difference between fact and fiction? Is there a difference, in the mind? There are some things that never translate into a language we can comprehend. Experiences too intangible, or unbelievable, to be spoken. I can never decide if being unable to articulate is a loss, or a sign to hold certain things close to the body in order to protect them. I have learned that shadows do not like to be readily shared or brought out into the light. Silence is a double-edged sword that can bring holiness into a dark interior or sabotage and tear down the walls of the same sacred fortress from the inside out. Silence is sometimes sacred, sometimes a betrayal. So— which am I?”

In terms of technique, something I have been trying to do in my paintings is to create multiple “languages” or vocabularies of paint within a single work. I think of this as the way paint is applied; thickly, sloppily, dryly, thinly, meticulously, slowly, quickly. This reveals something about the nature of each object or person that is painted. Textures can speak for thoughts, actions, or feelings in a way that pure rendering can often fall short, seeming too clinical.

This painting is 30” x 22.25”, Oil on paper. Arches Oil Paper is archival and makes for a unique painting surface with a beautiful deckled edge, which can be highlighted in the framing process.

Exhibition history: “Precipice” at Santa Ana College, Solo Exhibition (2020)

Oil on paper

30” x 22.25”

2021