Artist Statement
________________________________________________________________
PALINDROME : a word or phrase which can be read backward and forward, LEVEL or RADAR.
ORIGIN : c.1620-1630; Greek palíndromos recurring, equivalent to pálin again, back +dromos running
FOLLOWING PALINDROME : a personal concept that expresses a human being’s action toward, or relationship to a perfect, symmetrical, examinable constant, that may be inflected for mood, voice and agreement, with the subject: God.
________________________________________________________________
The concept of God has been the subject of my work for the past 9 years; at the same time it continues to be the subject of debate and conflict throughout the post-modern world. For me, God continues to be multifaceted, personal and yet an examinable constant.
As time passes, the Bible continues to surpass trends of thought while seizing the hearts of many. This fascinates me. How is it that such an ancient concept continues to be controversial and relevant worldwide, as well as an internal impetus for many today?
With this in mind, my images address basic issues of the relationship of the human and the divine, in the person of Jesus Christ, and the applicable nature of “God” to post-modern thinking.
Upon looking at my work you will notice that it is devoid of emotion, to suggest the pure nature of God, as He continues to present Himself to me. The art is meant to be fact and not fiction. Each image is a palindrome, which represents the covenant that God has made with Himself, symmetrical in nature and can be understood from all directions. A palindrome is the closest construct that represents the infinite nature of God. It has 3 parts, a beginning, a middle and an end, which for me is symbolic of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as one. Therefore, a palindrome depicts an actual reality that is spiritual, yet physical within the soul of each believer.
Some of my palindromes are still lifes, created in pairs that flank a central space. The objects signify the before and after affects of God entering a person’s life. When you look at a Christian, you cannot see his or her transformation to Christianity, but the internal structure of the soul has been altered. Thus, there is the slight change from the first image on the left to the second image on the right. The second image, the conversion, has become more in focus and more detailed. The empty space, the dark framing between the two drawings becomes the actual reality within the soul of each believer. God is flanked by the objects which serve as occupied territory in our hearts, separating us from our former transgressive nature. This territory is empty, depicting where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reside.
In my artistic practice, I seek to represent several facets of God’s character and how He changes people’s lives through personal relationships with Him. Working with biblical concepts over the past few years has lead me to believe that when our eyes see absolute truth, we are forever changed, even when that change cannot be detected. I hope to present a contemporary interpretation of the relevant and personal God of the Bible; Jesus Christ working in and through our lives today.
I thank God for His wisdom and the opportunity to translate His teachings into pictorial form.
PDM 2013