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“Painting is another way of keeping a diary.” –Picasso

Self Under Siege

With paint and brush…

…I have explored the struggle of the self to identify and survive the challenges of life lived midst the cacophony of manipulative, societal messages. My images capture the impact on the self, of a world characterized by destructive behaviors: violence, commercialism, racism, selfishness, mindless distractions & moral relativism. How do we find and hear our unique, inner voice?

Where is the I of our me to be found?

How do we protect it from assault? How to make visible, in paint, the emotional impact on the self in despair, or grief, or fear, or courage, or when one begs for forgiveness, or a moment of transformation that is full of the energy of darkness and light? What would the answers look like on a canvas? And how does one depict the rescue of a brilliant idea that is being overwhelmed by circumstance: the one that will change your life? How to show when religious foundations come tumbling down, or recognize the self in a portrait of Salome, a Jealous Me, the Naïve young girl? How does one paint a cry for help or paint the answer to that prayer that shows us on the way to a better place? And, how to express the peace of the healing garden that lives in the heart or the friendship that is a blessing?

Click on thumbnails for a large version plus an annotation about each painting ⇓