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| "Their Giant Problem" 30 X 40 Oil on Canvas 2012 |
Their Giant Problem was a really fun painting to work on. It took over a month, and I probably drank many gallons of coffee while working on this. The concept is a little bizarre: This painting deals with bi-polar issues. In the last few months I have had several friends dealing with this, and spent so much time thinking about bi-polar disorders, that I really felt that I needed to do a painting about the subject. I had no intention of expressing an opinion on the matter, but just wanted to show what it might feel like to deal and worry about a friend or a loved who is experiencing these cycles of mania and depression. The two girls represent both of these moods. I pictured one of them as depressed and the other as manic. Also, and at the same time they could also be having a conversation about someone who is severely manic....perhaps wondering what to do. The giant wildman absolutely represents mania, and at the same time, he is also the elephant in the room, or....their giant problem.
Yes, the old man's body is covered in fur!!! In creating this character, I took a cue from medieval heraldry. Often this Bigfoot-like creature was depicted in medieval stories, in art, and on family crests. I thought he fit the subject perfectly.
The images above are depictions of my new favorite medieval beast: the Wildman!!!
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| "Haunted House #1" 11 X 14 Oil on Panel 2012 |
Haunted House #1 came about as the need for a brief departure during the painting of Their Giant Problem. This painting is my smallest to date, and only took a few days. Out of sheer laziness, I used the same color pallet as the painting above, because I didn't feel like mixing new paint. I often have reoccurring dreams about haunted houses, and figured this would be one of many haunted house paintings. I also believe my old house in Springfield to be haunted. After an unsettling visit to the old place, I felt that I really needed to make this painting.
According to something cheesy that I read online, dreaming of haunted houses represents unfinished emotional business, relating to family, or repressed memories and feelings. Wow, that's a bit much to ponder. I think I'll go to the bar repress some more memories if you know what I mean.
