. > Scapes

A series of hyperbolic landscapes, focusing on the heightened drama of the landscape genre as a painted and cultural construct. I begin a painting with a mental visualization, a somewhat distinct subject matter. I never produce the painting I set out to make, however, but rather a self-enclosed system in which ideas have been unhinged decision by decision. These decisions are made intuitively, or develop their own rubric as the work evolves. The emerging concerns include: The meeting edges of illusionistic space, expressive painterly markmaking and formal abstraction; cultural and natural remnants attempting communication; visual rhymes through distinct passages of paint whether deadpan, gaudy, tender, science-fictional, or sublime. They seek imagery that suggests potential excess after the redundancy of dye-fed carnations (perhaps), ostentatious or inaudible humor. In the end I hope to come to a coherent image, somewhat iconic, a non-narrative mood-setting, a sense of place.