Today, I began a approach to a series that I have begun to call "Portals". The idea has been tumbling around in my mind since my MFA Thesis work in 1999-2000 so a VERY long time. I think it is just an observation of a theme that I notice reoccurring in my work. The many works these past 20 years have all sort of orbited around a common conceptual thread. This is that I think of my paintings as passages to a viewer, through the time in my studio, to any moment when the audience notices the work. The works might be conduits of ideas, feelings, or ? that in a way transcends time/space - like small messages to future viewers, in other places. As fantasy as this sounds, I am fascinated by how my paintings function - maybe like aesthetic machines or something?
In 2020 and 2021, I began some works on paper. Those works were an exploration in present-ness and were my attempt to give-in to the process of painting that was impulsive, reactionary, and improvisational. What happened was my acceptance of the wisdom that says when you paint, you act, you react, you manifest, you work. Later, you think. I allowed my work to evolve, devolve (and sometimes destruct), as I worked daily on each piece. The series in that time were always built from multiples, 3, 4, 5, 7 works in any single exploration. In the end each piece resolved into it's own presence, that then informed me to it's larger meaning and purpose - still the concept 'portals' resonated.
The winter of 2021 brought for me a time of reflection as do the Minnesota winter months in my studio practice. I resolved many of the works on paper and the idea/word/concept of 'portal' kept returning. So, I decided to continued the exploration using poured resin (that I was familiar with from my work in 1999-2006) to further isolate significant moments/layers in my painting process. The works in the winter/spring of 2021/2022 were all squares, 16 x 16, 12 x 12, etc. I did a series of 3 - 16 x 16, another group of 3 - 16 x 16, and a series of 4 - 12 x 12. Each of these is an exploration in space, time, and moments - yet also 'portals'.
Fast-forward to Spring 2022. I decide to embrace the idea of portals, and begin an exploration using 20" diameter x 5/8" birch plywood rounds. I am beginning the process using 10 panels, and have decided to video each step in the process. We'll see what happens! First step: getting the panels ready to paint!
