In a world filled with digital images, easily reproduced by AI, there is a space needed for concrete objects layered with materials that tie the viewer to time and place. Each of my paintings begin with a fully rendered metal point drawing. I get a lot of questions from both artists and collectors as to why. Creating an image from silver and gold is time consuming and a bit technically challenging. In the final painting the drawings are, generally, completely covered. The answer is that, for me, materials are as important as imagery. I use both silver and gold as a foundation to symbolically recall the key role that precious metals have played as the underlying base of western culture. The quest for precious metals can be seen as the catalyst for so much of who and what we are today: the products of global trade, capitalism, and colonialism.
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