Work physics.
The transfer of energy from one physical system to another.
When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with severe Scoliosis and Spondylolisthesis. I was in pain and worried about the spinal fusion, the body casts, and the braces looming in my future. As a result, structure became a major focus in my life. I later turned to auto manuals and motorcycles to allay my anxieties, regain some control in my life and connect with my body. These manuals nurtured an appreciation for work by showing me how engines operate and how to maintain them. Years later, I learned to affect the torque in my motorcycle’s engine while having to endure the limitations of my own rotational motion. I found joy and freedom in being able to work on something that I could use to move – fast!
Today, I use images of engine components to explore all aspects of work, not just in the traditional sense, but what has, for me come to mean all the work required to create and sustain connections in my life. Starting with a spark, as do ideas and relationships, engines convert force into motion. The momentum, heat and force of these functions are what inform and inspire the line, movement, and palette of my paintings.
I begin by drawing and redrawing a specific mechanical image with a slight shift in its angle or position in order to suggest the rotational motion of the engine. This image rotation also allows me to create many intersecting lines to illustrate points of contact and convey specific instants in time. These intersecting points are like the caresses between my son and me. They are made not just out of affection but also to make some physical contact through which to transcend the moment. Another way of emphasizing the interplay of work and attachments is by utilizing an epoxy resin that I pour between layers of paint. The heat that initiates the work of an engine, the bond of the epoxy resin, and the attraction between people is the inspiration for the dominance of red, orange and pink hues in my work.
The engine is a metaphor for the process of work, without which I am not fully connected to the world around me.
The transfer of energy from one physical system to another.
When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with severe Scoliosis and Spondylolisthesis. I was in pain and worried about the spinal fusion, the body casts, and the braces looming in my future. As a result, structure became a major focus in my life. I later turned to auto manuals and motorcycles to allay my anxieties, regain some control in my life and connect with my body. These manuals nurtured an appreciation for work by showing me how engines operate and how to maintain them. Years later, I learned to affect the torque in my motorcycle’s engine while having to endure the limitations of my own rotational motion. I found joy and freedom in being able to work on something that I could use to move – fast!
Today, I use images of engine components to explore all aspects of work, not just in the traditional sense, but what has, for me come to mean all the work required to create and sustain connections in my life. Starting with a spark, as do ideas and relationships, engines convert force into motion. The momentum, heat and force of these functions are what inform and inspire the line, movement, and palette of my paintings.
I begin by drawing and redrawing a specific mechanical image with a slight shift in its angle or position in order to suggest the rotational motion of the engine. This image rotation also allows me to create many intersecting lines to illustrate points of contact and convey specific instants in time. These intersecting points are like the caresses between my son and me. They are made not just out of affection but also to make some physical contact through which to transcend the moment. Another way of emphasizing the interplay of work and attachments is by utilizing an epoxy resin that I pour between layers of paint. The heat that initiates the work of an engine, the bond of the epoxy resin, and the attraction between people is the inspiration for the dominance of red, orange and pink hues in my work.
The engine is a metaphor for the process of work, without which I am not fully connected to the world around me.
