The Magic Hour, Part I
June 3 - 26, 2004
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 3, 2004, 6 - 8pm
Meet the Artist: Saturday, June 5, 12 - 5pm
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Dragon
2004
oil on canvas
90 x 60 inches
Dragon is my version of the
story of St. George and the Dragon, except in this case the
dragon wins. The highway seen in the nighttime background
runs through the Sumas flats in the Fraser Valley east of
Vancouver. The highway seen on the billboard is Highway 99
in Delta approaching the Vancouver International airport.
An interesting thing to note is that the SUV is traveling
down the left side of the highway. I think this ads a subconscious
sense of unease to an already strong image of defeat.
I struggled for a long time over what to use as a source for
the armour worn by the knight. I eventually settled on buying
an old, unassembled, plastic, scale-model kit of a knight
on e-bay. The kit was made by the Aurora company in the 1960's
and actually worked out great after I assembled and painted
it. I built plenty of models as a kid and jumped at the chance
to build this one. Cars are our modern suits of armour.
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| Nighthawk
2003
oil on canvas
60 x 90 inches
Although the title, Nighthawk, is an
allusion to Edward Hopper's famous painting, "Nighthawks", as
are the nighttime, shadowy elements seen in this painting, it
is also the brand name of the bow I used as a prop. I discovered
this after I had nearly completed the painting and it seemed
the most appropriate title. Most people don't notice the key
in the place of the arrowhead. This seems appropriate because
advertising never seems to shows you its true intention until
its too late. This piece, as well as Dragon, was one the first
paintings I did which took place at night, although the images
on the billboards take place in the daytime. As well as an homage
to Hopper, Nighthawk is also a nod towards James Macneil Whistler's
series of Nocturne paintings.
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Archangel
2004
oil on canvas
48 x 72 inches
All of my work is based on a mixture
of photography shot in the studio, ads culled from magazines
and stock photography from online sources. This painting, Archangel,
is the first piece I have done using a digital camera. This
was a definite leap forward for me. Some purists disdain the
use of photography as a basis for painting. I believe it s merely
a tool like an easel or a paintbrush. The artist David Hockney
says that the photo or projection used in the initial stages
of a painting is not what makes the marks on the canvas. I certainly
must agree. This painting also represents another use of scale
models. Toy cars have been a godsend with this series. If I
couldn't find the right photo of a car in an existing ad, my
local hobby store usually had what I needed. Many people are
curious about the symbolism of the torch and stone in this painting.
I have my own interpretations but I prefer to keep them to myself.
I am usually more amazed by what viewers have to say. They are
always much better than what I had in mind.
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| You
Are Here
2001
oil on canvas
81 x 54 inches
You Are Here is a companion piece to
Fourth of July from my "Dreamland" series. The figures in this
piece seem to aspire to be more than they already are. The map
in this image is actually from the 1960's. This leaves the pair
without the proper direction to find what they seek; a Shangri-la
of mobile transcendence provided by the power of the car. They
are obviously not where the ad tells them they are but they
seem unable to reconcile this fact. I feel that the figures
are vaguely aware that things are awry but are determined nevertheless
to achieve the goal of finding the place in the world offered
by the ad standing over them. They seem like the ape-men at
the foot of the monolith in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001. They
want to evolve but they are trapped instead by their own desires.
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| Five
Star Service
2002
oil on canvas
72 x 48 inches
Five Star Service is based on a still
photo of George C. Scott as seen in the movie "Patton". This
piece is the military counterpart to the civilian "President
Cadillac". The general's medals are actually car logos. This
piece is also a self portrait. I think I did it as much for
the fun of dressing up as a war-crazy general as for the serious
intent of creating a symbol of the car's war on humanity. The
real general Patton died in a jeep accident shortly after the
end of World War 2. An unceremonious end to a man who survived
the horrors of the Nazi war machine only to be felled by the
product of his own country's factories. Patton's death, is indeed,
one of war's strangest examples of "Friendly Fire". Maybe he
should have stuck with his beloved Sherman tanks.
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President
Cadillac
2001
oil on canvas
72 x 48 inches
This work may seem like a political
attack on the US Presidency and its ties to big oil but President
Cadillac is really a comment on the power of the car over us.
What may not be obvious right away is the fact that the Presidential
seal on the flag and the podium has been replaced with the heraldic
symbol of the Cadillac logo. Cadillac has always been regarded
as a symbol of the ultimate in taste and refinement. I see the
Cadillac symbol more as one of power and dominance. The Cadillac
Escalade is advertised as the world's most powerful SUV. An
ad slogan for the Escalade reads as: "Conquerer of the world,
I like the sound of that". Certainly a parallel symbolism exists
between Cadillac's advertised ambitions and that of the current
US presidency. This piece is a self-portrait and although I
am personally not equipped with a full head of wavy hair, I
chose to use the hair of the late president, Ronald Reagan,
but used the colour of the late JFK. The pose is pure Bill Clinton
however. |
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