Artworks

Crosstalk can be defined as unwanted transfer of signals between communication channels, such as when you can hear someone else’s conversation. This happens when signals traveling through adjacent wiring interfere with each other. These conduits of information run parallel to each other but are intended not to communicate. They are separate identities unless the phenomenon of crosstalk occurs. 

I have always been interested in the philosophy of aesthetics, which studies how artists imagine, create, and perform works of art. It is essentially the study of perspective. I am most curious about the representation of what art could be. I use my own painting to ask questions about space, and try to uncover the layers of our existence. I practice the act of conscious watching and listening, trying to hear things that are mute and see objects that are invisible. I seek out window reflections, the movements of the leaves that signify wind, and the passing of light through shadows. I have made it a priority to be present, all in an effort to better understand the world. As like anything that you spend too much time at, this activity can become consuming.

On an evening in March 2018, I saw a brushy tailed wolf in the dark corner of my art studio. It turned away and vanished quickly. It disappeared into thin air. It was clearly a strange sight, but at that time I brushed it off and attributed it to being tired. However for the next 10 months I would see similar visions of dark animals and bugs, and although these psudo-hallucinations were always fleeting, they became more and more concerning. I was not afraid of them — I knew they were not real, but they were shocking and sudden and out of my control. 

I have always prided myself on my connection to my surroundings. I have essentially trained my brain to observe the small movements that the world makes — those invisible signs of life. So seeing visions that were not actually there didn’t seem all that strange. At one point I imagined that I had developed the ability to see another dimension. Or maybe I was experiencing a form of crosstalk from a parallel universe. Although my stress induced visions have since gone away, these experiences have given me a new awareness. This glimpse at a psychedelic alternative has been a springboard to further examine how we perceive the world.

I have developed a new level of consciousness when it comes to the mythology of my work. It is through the meditative selection of coloured forms and gestures that I strive to offer a visual equivalent to a spoken exchange. A place where the development of ideas in succession says something beyond any single phrase or sentence. Each colour is thoughtfully mixed and countless layers of washes and thick coats of paint are applied to the canvas, used to portray the ingredients of the world. 

I have begun examining how we perceive colours, acknowledging that not everybody sees colours in the same way. Science tells us that objects do not inherently have colours. It is the brain and the light receptors in the eye that communicate together in order to translate the light and produce the familiar sensation of colour. My paintings are always closely related to my own experiences as I recall them. For the series “Crosstalk”, I reference a Northwest Coastal pallet, as well as colours discovered on a recent trip to Death Valley. Special focus is placed on the muddy shadow-like hues achieved when contrasting primary colours are overlapped and mixed together.