Statement - Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue is a series of critically acclaimed paintings from my formative years as a younger painter. The inspiration for these paintings came from travelling to Bali, Indonesia. The Balinese are under divine obligation to make beautiful things. There is no word for Artist in their language, they just are.
I was attracted to their belief in Animism, where everything has a life force, even inanimate objects. The Wayan Kulit (shadow puppet play), banana leaf offerings floating on sticks and scarecrows created with discarded materials, held my attention.
Back in my studio I wanted to apply the same principle of animism to my paintings. In some of my work, the figure floats in an ethereal bath of light, texture, luminous color. In other pieces, the figure explodes expands, breaks, multiplies and divides. In some paintings the figure is in limbo, not separate, yet not synonymous with the ground. Out of the Blue is spirited, playful and open-ended.