QUANTUM SERIES
into the soup and down the rabbit hole
After suffering a toxic injury a number of years ago, I became acutely aware of the reality behind theories of quantum mechanics – the study of the relationship between energy and matter. That is, I found myself literally a part of my physical world and yet feeling as if I occupied a parallel universe, one much more visceral and yet less well defined than I had ever experienced before. I understood that everything in the universe is matter composed and re-composed into distinct forms. For the first time that I can remember, the physicality of the universe was palpable. My body, so burdened by gravity, fell deep into the earth with each step I took. My lungs labored as I breathed in all the particles of the universe and struggled in search of those that were oxygen. My hearing was acute and yet indiscriminate. All auditory input registered with the same intensity. My eyes watched a world that was always at dusk, images barely discernible from each other, their edges blending and melding until my world was thick as soup. I felt liquid and malleable, neither here nor there. I existed as everything and nothing simultaneously.
This series of work explores, simplistically, some of the theories of quantum mechanics as representation of my own experience. Ideas of parallel universe, gravitational redshift, and space-time have all contributed to my present body of work. In execution, I have striven to present the relationship and sometimes, conflict, between waves and particles, suggesting that all things share a common reality that is always in flux. Layers of paint, textures, and patterns make up a ground from which images emerge. This rich and complicated information, when shared between artist and viewer is decoded through the shared consciousness of symbols, and reveals a physical concept. The portrayed concept becomes a narrative that illustrates how we are all woven from the same fabric, and a classic embodiment of quantum entanglement. A variety of paints, inks, and stains are combined to create layers that ghost as well as hover. The paintings are produced over discarded lumber and, in some cases, pieced together to further emphasize the idea of change and movement. Influences include contemporary graffiti art, pop art, and colorfield work.
The paintings are merely snapshots in time, already fading as they continue to propel themselves light years ahead, suggesting that life shifts and moves constantly with consequence, no matter the passing of time.
