Faraway, 16” x 20”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
In Slumber, 16” x 20”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
Into the Unknown, 18” x 36”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
Uncharted, 16” x 20”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
An Hour of Brightness, 16” x 20”, acrylic and ink, 2022
In View of Lava, 24” x 24”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
Through Gothic Realms, 18” x 24”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
In Spite of the Beast (Moonshadow), 18” x 24”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
An Undertaking, 24” x 36”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2023
The Threshold, 36” x 60”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
Place of Echoes, 36” x 48”, acrylic and ink on canvas, 2022
Sublimity in Gold: An Expedition Through Elements of Earth
A visual journey of an expedition whitewater rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for 25 days. A transformation from the grinding force of civilization to the serene and daunting wilderness, immersed in a totality of rock, water, and sky. Escaping to the other dimension of the world, where humanity remains in ancient ruins and nature holds its domain.
The elements dictate the fate of the expedition. Nature is the great equalizer. An acceptance of the dire consequences develops an understanding to the fragility of human life. Tragic consciousness-- the sublime creates a strong grasp on the artist's psyche. The most primal fears and moments of awe were felt through the grind. Waking early to find a memorable sunrise created with a celestial cloud formation, pulsing in the sky. The anticipation of maneuvering past massive hydraulics, with the moment of contact felt as if passing by an eye of a beast. Then rushed through the hall of towering rock while maintaining direction despite the burbling water. The quiet intensity of the hardened landscape, where everything is sharp and desolate.
The bleakness becomes a majesty, aged to a golden hue, where awe is discovered and remembered. Through darkness there is light, through terror there is marvel. The translation of the canyon world through a gold lens evokes a gothic romance, a beauty in the canyon spires and deep swirling water of deadly consequence. The paintings are aged with a sense of an older world.
The artist's attempt to control is remarked upon the subtle forms of draftsmanship, of structural directions visually steering the viewer along a path through the wilderness, to make sense of the exposed elements. The underlying markings are redrawn on top of tonal brushstrokes, grounding the expanding landscape.
Despite the hostilities of the environment, a grainery constructed into the cliffside remained intact for thousands of years, fingerprints visible in the texture of the binding mixture. Humanity remains a natural marvel of possibilities.