KIDS THESE DAYS

Rare Gallery, New York, NY

September - October 2014

KIDS THESE DAYS

I try really hard not to overthink the drawings.   I have a list on my computer of every bizarre idea that pops up in my head.  Usually its something as inane as “Little Chicken Big Egg” (copied directly from the list).  And while I'm drawing, the idea tends to morph.  But the trick is, like a tennis racquet, hold it loosely.  This isn't a unique approach.  Martin Kippenberger ascribed to the ethos of “first idea, best idea.”  And artists such as Neil Jenney, Carol Dunham, and Ansel Krut have used the dumbest impetuses for paintings.  The difference is that these artists painted silly thoughts in a silly way.  Whereas I am starting with absurdity but taking them way, way too seriously.  My hope in the end, is that by giving these ridiculous thoughts so much love, I am making something richer.

These drawings are about my life, my memories, my psychology.  I don't plan them out.  There is no order.  The hardest part is not to filter.  I have to trust that every stupid, off-beat, taboo idea bubbled up for a reason.  I think that it's healthier for the drawings (and definitely therapeutic for me) to let it all out on the page.  In the past they have called this inner voice, the muse, the subconscious, or the lizard brain.  It's all the same thing, trusting that little goblin in my head.  I end up drawing whatever makes me the most uncomfortable, what I have never seen but would like to, what makes me laugh.  Some of this work is a little bit weird, but I guess I am too.

 I look at these drawings through an art-historical lens.  I am not necessarily directly referencing a particular artist or work (excepting Poussin and Groucho), but the baroque, and chinese ink landscapes, and romanticism dance around in my head anyway.  The representational aspects of the work also tie into the art-historical inspirations.  These artists are my heroes (and frienemies).  I am devoted to them, but I also want to beat them at it. 

 Since the subjects are so personal, I have been agonizing over the images.  The alternative would be to make more expressive drawings, ie. violent arm movements as a symbol of my aggression.  But, expressionism has a trade-off in that subject matter is often subjugated to touch.   Because I'm drawing my son, my wife, me, my brain, I haven't been able to sacrifice them to a looser hand.  I just want the technique to be as clean and clear as possible.  And I like it.  I enjoy the challenge of flesh, hair, light, foliage, smoke, and cloth. 

I have had a blast making these drawings.  I used almost no source material.  I made up the figures, the rocks, the smoke, the clouds, the sky, and the clothes.  I googled “TV Doctors Hairstyles,” “Damask Wallpaper,” and “Cigarettes”, but the rest is invented.  Drawing from my brain lets every detail serve the composition.  Light bends, perspective warps, figurative proportion distorts.  This subjectivity is especially true for color.  Color is a plaything meant to fit the intended meaning of the work instead of the subject matter.  Even flesh tones are malleable.  Since I'm inventing it all, it's mine to play with.