Picture Windows

It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul. But in reality, they are more like one way glass--they give us the ability to see out, but it’s harder for others to see in. Nevertheless, I suggest there are portals which allow one to glimpse into the heart of an artist. For example, when an artist creates a picture from pure imagination they reveal vistas in their sentient reality. These picture windows of the soul allow us to see what they see, and glimpse through the filter of their hopes, aspirations, and interpretation of reality. Though they embrace fantasy, surrealism, or the abstract, these expressions can reveal something of soul.

The greatest dawning into this realm occurred for me after graduating high school. With the purchase of my first airbrush, I began working as a freelance artist. I didn’t make much money at it, but it was a wonderful journey. I began by airbrushing shirts for friends and clients like George Caroll, the renown Hollywood hair stylist. I painted everything from surf scenes on VW bug glove boxes, to elaborate murals on rock band’s kick drum heads. Though I rarely got a chance to paint for my own enjoyment, many works were born out of pure imagination. Unfortunately, I have very few examples leftover from that era. (seen above)

It was during this time that I fell in love with acrylics because I could incorporated airbrush, watercolor, and painting techniques into a single medium. At this time I also began mixing my own colors exclusively from the true primary colors of: cyan, yellow, magenta, black, and white (this was influenced by my work in graphic arts.) Yet these were just tools. The real journey began by purposefully departing from realism, and intentionally breaking the rules of the physical universe. Shadows, reflections, atmosphere, gravity, and other forces held no sway (though few noticed.) Herein, I labored to fashion works which evoked a feeling, and a longing to be joined with that environment. To this day, my aim is to draw people in, regardless of the medium--to make that connection, to generate a mirroring of mind, and create picture windows which share in the common experience of soul.