This body of work was created 2015-18 and made up two solo shows, Many Streams at The Compound Gallery, Oakland, and Nightwalking at Addison Street Windows Gallery in Berkeley. Up until I started these paintings, most of my work related to landscape but also featured figures too.
“Since I am often a figurative painter, this group of work might be defined by its conspicuous absence of people. Last year, I’d started taking photographs late at night in my neighborhood and became intrigued by the way that familiar scenes are transformed by darkness and stark artificial light. I noticed how the urban landscape makes sense when human activity is present, but takes on stranger qualities when the people are absent. This led to some initial paintings experimenting with these images, but they lacked a solid direction until a recent trip through the Eastern Sierras where I went out of my way to seek out the old abandoned gold-mining towns and settlers’ cabins. Again, the absence of people struck me. The cabins remain as a record of people having been there and passed onward. The natural landscape has shown the people their folly, thrown them out, and is now reclaiming the flimsy buildings back into its self. I’m always fascinated by people’s relationship with the land and time, and in particular the way that things we regard as solid and permanent are actually temporary, in flux, and part of a continuum much larger than ourselves.”
Both of these exhibitions featured installations of "shacks" made from reclaimed wood and concrete. These can be seen on the Wood page.
“Since I am often a figurative painter, this group of work might be defined by its conspicuous absence of people. Last year, I’d started taking photographs late at night in my neighborhood and became intrigued by the way that familiar scenes are transformed by darkness and stark artificial light. I noticed how the urban landscape makes sense when human activity is present, but takes on stranger qualities when the people are absent. This led to some initial paintings experimenting with these images, but they lacked a solid direction until a recent trip through the Eastern Sierras where I went out of my way to seek out the old abandoned gold-mining towns and settlers’ cabins. Again, the absence of people struck me. The cabins remain as a record of people having been there and passed onward. The natural landscape has shown the people their folly, thrown them out, and is now reclaiming the flimsy buildings back into its self. I’m always fascinated by people’s relationship with the land and time, and in particular the way that things we regard as solid and permanent are actually temporary, in flux, and part of a continuum much larger than ourselves.”
Both of these exhibitions featured installations of "shacks" made from reclaimed wood and concrete. These can be seen on the Wood page.