 ARTIST STATEMENT
Why paint? The act of painting has been under attack in recent years but
remains a stubborn survivor. It's been a fundamental artistic activity for
millennia, ever since the first cave paintings were created, so it probably
isn't going away anytime soon.
I'm not blazing a new painting trail in my latest work. Rather than
attempting something novel I'm assimilating ideas pursued over a long
practice tempered by numerous outside influences including a liking for
free-flowing ceramic glazes.
Naturally, all this input has been mitigated by my knowledge of what's come
before in the wider art world. I've long been an admirer of many of our
contemporary American and European painters. I began my career when
"post-painterly abstraction" or "color field abstraction" was the latest
phase in the evolution of the New York school. At that time I was
particularly drawn to the work of Morris Louis and I still believe he was
one of the greats. But I also appreciate the work of many Los Angeles based
painters including John McLaughlin, Karl Benjamin, Ed Moses and Charles
Arnoldi. Some of these influences can be seen in the new series I've named
ROOTS and the roots of the current work reach back to my own early
(tentative) experiments in paint application.
An unexpected inspiration for my new paintings has been the collection of
pottery that has surrounded me since the late 70s. One piece in particular,
a recent large vessel by California ceramist Robert Maxwell-awash with
complex flowing glazes in subtle variations of the color green-has been a
major motivation.
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