Most of my current work examines the definition of object,
specifically by highlighting the relationships between the physical properties
we use to understand and determine that which is an object. For instance,
physical properties like scale, position, number, relation, and composition
create a set of boundaries and conditions that aid our mind in comprehending
the relative stability of objects, either visibly or tangibly.
The definition of object often appears to be an issue of
perception: that our understanding of “object” is based on properties
intrinsically linked to our senses. However, physical properties can change
while our understanding of the object remains constant, like how a piece of
fruit rotting over time is still essentially the same piece of fruit, despite
being perceivably different over that period of time. Do objects then have some
sort of intrinsic “structure” that defines them as such; separate from their
physical properties?
This contradiction, physical properties or underlying “structure”
as the basis for a definition of object, is a duality. And like most dualities,
it suggests that the truth is neither one nor the other, but something else,
less immediately understandable. In that way, my work does not try to clarify
the definition of object or any accidental or essential physical properties
involved with such a definition. Instead, it positions these properties
together, contrasting them, conflating their relationships, forcing the viewer
to come to a realization about the manner in which they perceive.
I also deal with this issue of perception by creating a
verisimilitude or surreality in the work. In other words, I try to visually
create a sense of reality without producing something that is in fact a
representation of reality. I do this so that the relationship between what it
appears to be and that which it is actually, becomes more confused. I found
that this is best accomplished by mimicking processes found in nature or that
seem natural, as opposed to mimicking the actual appearance of things in
reality. By slowly building up paint, either through dripping, pouring, or the
application of thin layers, my work utilizes methods that parallel growth in
reality, both organically and inorganically. The same sort of thought process
goes into the removal of paint in the work as well. However, the cutting and
separating involved in the removal of paint serves a dual purpose. Not only
does it aid in the examination of physical relation, but it also serves to make
the viewer think about the physical construction (or destruction) of the work.
I have also been working with the idea of the multiple. Using multiples, especially as parts in a large wall or mass, is not only a way to address the physical properties of scale, number, and relation, but to also look at how those properties interrelate.