For me the new work is about drawing in reverse. Rather than drawing that is accumulation of marks, my new work is about removing and erasing. It might be scrubbing off the black paint of a canvas or remove hexagons on a field in the floor but for me the process and the intent is the same.
Most of my new paintings are divided down the middle. I was interested in exploring the natural center line division that occurs in any rectangle. One side would be covered in black paint and the other side would be erased away.
I am very interested in the idea of a painting being an object. I am interested in the texture of the canvas, the build up of paint along the edges of the frame, basically it is the physical properties of the painting. The paintings are not a window to somewhere else but a tool to make us more aware of ourselves, our space and the present moment.
I am very excited about the new floor piece in the studio. It is made of 800 identical steel tiles. Although they can be arranged in any configuration, I chose this arrangement because its suggestion of the center. As I was putting it together I was surprised to see the relationship between the tiles and the empty spaces create a density that is related to be both size and the ability of the work to integrate itself into the space of the floor. The more tiles I pull away, the larger the piece can become and the more it brings the space of the room into the space of the piece.
In this configuration, the piece integrates the entire surface of the floor into the composition of the work. The floor and the work are interconnected. Even though the work is three dimensional, I am not sure that it is quite sculptural. It seems to me like the work is more about a way of seeing and measuring the space that we inhabit.
One last idea about centering. By definition, a circle describes a perimeter in which the inside moves toward a center point and the outside is everything that exists beyond the circle. But what if the boundary could be blurred so that you were not sure where the circle started or stopped. Rather than being a mathematical definition what if it was an acculmulation of spaces. It is easy to find the center of a circle but if the edge was blurred, how would you know where the circle stops? How would you know what was not in the circle or how far the circle extended into the room?
By removing the tiles and the letting the space of the floor into the space of the tiles, I am able to engage the space of the floor which brings the viewer to an awareness of the space as a whole.
