World of Hurt 05/06/2010
 
I wanted to share with you my latest work, which is a triptych series I am calling HURT. I couldn’t shake the thoughts from my mind how so often we, as a people, get glimpses of the world and its associated tragedies through our living room picture boxes. We see the pain and anguish of people far away from our everyday lives, we experience it in the comfort of our homes, and then after the weather we turn off the tube and head for bed. Perhaps we take some time to think about and process what we have just seen, or perhaps not. Soon the pace of life takes over and it is forgotten.  The pictures of devastation are often times better forgotten and not dwelled on, but I do think they are important to SEE and not just notice. I personally feel that as a society, we tend to become de-sensitized to the overwhelming bits and pieces of information so readily available and thrown at us on a daily basis. I didn’t want to be de-sensitized in any way, so I started really looking at the people and their situations. I visited website after website, scanned newspapers and magazines and read story after heart-breaking story of both death and survival. The more I really looked and listened, the more touched and saddened I became. I decided that as an artist, the only real way I could relate what I was feeling was to create images that would cause people to stop and look and really SEE and FEEL and become sensitive along with me.
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These three paintings are the result of that journey and thought process. I would love your feedback on the work as I also have taken a completely different stylistic approach to the work. This allowed me to experience the journey holistically as I not only spent a great deal of time laboring over the mixed media and toned down palettes – but also was presented with several problems that needed to be addressed and solved to get the look and feel I was going for. After all…painting is problem solving, and this series really took the task to hand.  

The paintings will be on display in Studio 8 at the next Artists Upstairs 2nd Friday Open Studio Event on May 14th. (Click here for more information.) I hope you are able to attend and can give me some first hand feedback, as well as take a look around Studio 8b and the beginnings of a new painting!

Also a reminder that my show – Layered Senses: Works by Cagney King has been held over and will also be open in the Creative Arts Gallery for your viewing pleasure. If you missed it last month…now is your chance to see a complete collection of my work in a gallery setting.

Keep your e-mails and letters coming!

Until next time Rock On!
 
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