My passion is creating art that allows
me to disconnect from reality. I am empowered when I can use my art to explore
new places and times, and the freedom is exhilarating. I view escape from a
personal level, charged with a psychologically emotional perspective. This
perspective is embedded within my art, and reflected throughout various themes
of escapism that include landscapes and figurative work.
I also love painting nudes. The nude is perfect for depicting many aspects of escape. The
nude is more than an unclothed figure. It can unleash emotions that are steeped
in cultural and familial attitudes. As an adult, I obey both written and
unwritten laws that govern how and when I reveal my body. I covet my
fully clothed persona closely, so that when I do present myself nude it is with the
caveat that this is special. This special way of looking
at nudity is not mine alone. In most western cultures, it is mostly through
high art that we are allowed to take pleasure in looking at the human body in
full daylight, and in the most sober of settings: a museum. This brings me to
question; if it is sanctioned for me and others to find escape from the
cultural rules governing the nude in art, than is there such a thing as an improper
nude pose? If so, whose idea of propriety are we emulating?
Many people turn on
their TV to escape their daily routine; I leave my ordinariness of day-in, day
out by creating my personal rabbit hole and escape through art. At times, a
short escape from reality is a necessity--not just a luxury.
