"A Guidepost to Reality"

Semi Abstract Truth

I like guideposts, signs, omens, anything to do with spiritual directions. I love the idea of life being a puzzle, a treasure hunt. The title “A Guidepost to Reality” says a lot. This painting comes from an era of time that was very productive during my first full-on gallery/studio experience.

The colors are indicative of that era. I really like the roughness of what seems to be a signpost with nothing written on it. This is one of those consequential paintings that started with a random stencil spray painted on the canvas.

Landscapes are an easy go-to for me. I believe, for me, making random consequential paintings into something that's recognizable by the mind involves turning the image into something like a landscape, or a room, or sometimes just a simple as an object, that may or may not make sense, but have a three-dimensional aspect.

I've never been a big fan of completely abstract paintings like what Pollock pretended to be after. I feel a truly abstract piece will still have a sense of design to it, a true artist can’t help it and is always gravitated towards aesthetic pleasure. As much as artists like Pollock spewed a bunch of drunken bullsh-t and self-centered thought about not painting with lines, meaning, and etc... He still had intent and design was involved.

I still hold fast to the idea that so-called artists like Pollock, Warhol, and almost the entire New York school did a massive disservice to artists in the future. The common man looked upon their art and couldn't help but think "I could do that" or “any idiot can paint a soup can”. So began the era of everyone is an artist.

They made art seem like there was no effort involved, commercialized it even. The common Man, and even the educated man, looked upon a lot of their work and scoffed because in their mind anybody can do a bunch of drugs and get drunk and paint crap. And Warhol was a printmaker, almost an entertainer, far from an artist.

This painting represents the fragile stilts most modern and post impressionistic art stands on. They are only held in place by the pretentions of the self-absorbed, self-seeking blow-hards that peddle a supposed occupation.