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October 2, 2012
In my paintings of oil on wood and canvas I rediscover and resurrect the people I find in discarded photo albums acquired at flea markets.
Seeking the truth of the past, not simply historical record, I look for hidden expressions of intimacy and human interactions between the figures in the photographs. My paintings obsessively record all of the small details—the touch of hands, a loving gaze… The collections of resulting paintings often evolve into large installations. Usually I spend more than a year on each large painting project.
I counter the flatness and ephemeral quality of the original photographs, with a thick, visceral paint application. I impart a weight and physicality in depicting the persons in the lost photographs—restoring the presence of those forgotten. I like to think that my paintings are physical placeholders for the persons who are absent.
Beginning with the discovery of caches of superficial, cheesy snapshots, I finish with collections of paintings that redress history--a providing new perspective of the lives of forgotten people.
My current painting project, “The Boy Band,” series is derived from an album I found at a thrift store; a collection of snapshots of the boy band Menudo (circa 1984) lovingly assembled by a fan. My paintings of oil on mylar examine both the vulnerability of the teenage subjects and the unsophisticated branding of the era. I provide a view of this cultural phenomenon as seen through a fan’s eyes.
Recent projects include the installation “Galatic 99” and the “Blue Screen Series.” These paintings and installation reference photos I found on the wall of a Miami pizzeria—shots of the workers after hours. The vivid ultramarine blue of the paintings suggests not only the tropical Miami environment, but also the blue screens of film making, where figures are shot and extracted from an environments pictorially. In this series I investigate the role of the individual with in a group—studying how, in life, people come together randomly, interact and become close knit community.
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