“A Conversation About Connection”
I recently had someone visit my studio while I was working on the phoenixes.
They asked me if there was a reason that there were two?
It gave me pause.
I didn’t have an answer in that moment.
Most phoenix birds I’ve seen portrayed in artwork have comprised of a single subject.
I thought over my body of recent work. With the exception of a few, I have been drawn to creating pieces with multiple figures.
Not just multiple figures but multiple figures with connections to one another.
I had to ask myself, why? What’s changed?
We’ve never had more technology to connect, yet we as a society have seen an epidemic of loneliness.
The ability to have conversations over the mundane doesn’t exist anymore. We have never been more divided.
Unspeakable things are being showed to us on a daily basis. The world has become more polarized than ever before.
From the start of my career I’ve focused on connection in subtleties and symbolism.
In the grand scheme that hasn’t changed, but the connections in my art are not as subtle anymore. I’m using bold colors, large scale sizes, and different figures.
I think there is a need for this kind of symbolic visual now more than ever. We need more positivity and connection. Artwork that brings a smile to someone’s face yet invokes those emotions aforementioned.
Do I think my art and others artists work can change the world? I don’t know, but my hope is that my art can serve as an inspiration for genuine and meaningful interpersonal connections.
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