Raise the Spirits
An ongoing series exploring the botanical, social-historical and spiritual influence of alcohol. 2014- 2020
An ongoing series exploring the botanical, social-historical and spiritual influence of alcohol. 2014- 2020
The Bridges
The Bridges
When I moved back to Vermont, My mother said “Why don’t you paint some nice covered bridges?” I laughed at first and then actually couldn’t get the idea out of my head. These so called “Kissing Bridges” are picturesque and while they serve to join two pieces of land, they are relics, and they foster a connection through time and space. My Bridge Series began with fundamental exercises exploring forgotten or imagined histories. First, thinking about who might have built the covered bridges I have ridden over here in Vermont. Who walked over these planks 100 years ago? Who else jumped off? If I abstracted bridges into weaver’s knots, would it call to mind the local textile industry present when many of these bridges were built in the 19th Century? Could a bridge tied into a granny knot pay homage to Grandma Moses? Then, specifically, how does the Silk Road Bridge compare to other bridges? Is it, A. Mythological, B. Biological, C. Ephemeral, D. An inside joke, E. None of the above. What happens when I flatten the bridge into an idea? Looking at the form, recreating it in pushing and pulling it drinking it up and reading it’s tea leaves. By design, these covered bridges are single lane and require the politeness of drivers and ultimately, faith in humanity, what better symbols of connection?
As this series has progressed the bridge forms have become more abstracted, to the point that no actual covered bridge is represented in Datura, The Flying Bridge.
This ongoing series includes: The Weaver’s Bridge 1 and 2, The Granny Bridges, The Rainbow Bridge 1 and 2, The Coffin bridge, The Burning Bridges, The Brooktrout Bridge, Disaster at Wishbone Bridge and New Wishbone Bridge, The Bow Bridges, The Land Bridge, The Sheet bend Bridges, The Shaman’s Bridge, The Magnetic Bridges and The Devil’s Bridge, The Pretzel Bridge, The Old Granny Bridge, and Infinitas. New subsect “The Flying Bridges” including: Ergot, Datura, The Carboy.
VALENTINES
Valentine’s Day; a tradition steeped in fertility, blood and and ephemeral love letters.
Divided Dragon
The series Divided Dragon is a tribute to the 9 animal resemblances of the dragon in Chinese mythology as documented by The Han Dynasty scholar Wang Fu :
“... as to the nine resemblances, they are the following: his horns resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam, his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow. Upon his head he has a thing like a broad eminence (a big lump), called chimu. If a dragon has no chimu, he cannot ascend to the sky.”
