Why did I create these paintings?
The deaths in quick succession of our best friends Steve and May was the instigation to create this series.
While May was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer Steve died by catastrophic cardiac arrest. After supporting our dear May till the end my awareness was sharply drawn to my own mortality.
Really challenging me to look at what art I really wanted to make and what I felt I actually needed to say while I can still say it.
To speak about what I see.
I decided to create at least 30 new images that aligned philosophically with a few earlier artworks where I had touched on this theme. 30 artworks that summed me up.
Once I decided on what artworks I wanted to exist, I kid you not my soul screamed at me to get it done as ambitious and out of reach as it seemed.
This was more than 10 years ago. I have been a consistent with scheduling time around full time work to bring these images into being.
Previous to this I have always made art that I wanted to make but the content of those artworks ceased to have as much relevance to me as before May and Steve died.
Every painting I have done up till this is part of the process of making these works.
I reject many of the tropes that are trotted out by those wanting to minimize attention on the industries of war and the spiral of greed we find ourselves in.
How we can justify to ourselves the beating down of the weakest and the exploitation of nature and people for profit now it seems to the point of planetary suicide.
The mega wealthy who state ‘I am a self-made man!’ while forgetting about the people who make their wealth for them, pushing ever harder down for productivity gains. At the same time screeching about the pain of altruism and the obligation of the social contract.
The caustic hypocrisy of religious mentors who in conflict with their own scriptures to promote hate and murder.
The ceaseless drive to control more, have more, take more and kill to get it…
And now we are automating it all!
Have we forgotten the fact that our evolution relied on teamwork, pulling together for our survival.
Altruism is not a curse it is a blessing.
Its our nature when we haven’t trained out of love and our psychopathy reinforced.
To illuminate the darkness first we must acknowledge what that darkness is by shining a light on it.