This group of artworks explores American history, heroism, myth and culture. Powerful figures of early American colonization & Manifest Destiny are the starting point - Theodore Roosevelt (the Warrior-Preacher naturalist and avowed Imperialist); John Smith and Sitting Bull; Industrialization and the West; Buffalo Bill (Western folk hero and killer of Native Americans and Buffalo alike); and The 'White City' (the symbolic World's Fair Columbian exposition in Chicago in 1893). The examination of these figures has an urgency within contemporary society; they serve as symbols for current events and persons. These men share righteous and contemptible ideas and actions - they are not entirely heroic or evil, but a combination of the two. This grey area of morality is what I seek to represent - our history as a country, reflecting our present virtues and evils. 

These paintings portray flawed heroes from an amalgamation of comic books, history and mythology. The figures share aspects of noble strength and genocidal brutality in their deeds and conquest. Popular culture embraces superheroes but resists examining these icons for deeper meaning and insight; the characters and their stories have become secular mythology.  They are a uniquely American art form that has acquired great significance. Artistically, there is a direct lineage from the muscular figures of Michelangelo to these pop heroes. From their mythological melting pot I like to paint parallels within my work to contemporary and historical figures and narratives. The figures are as flawed and inspiring as history. Formally, abstraction and realism are simultaneously present as gestural swaths of paint exist next to focused areas of representation. I seek an emotional response with this work; my goal is a vibration between imagery and the medium as a gripping, vibrant surface.

I created this series of work as an exploration of Jack Johnson, a figure who embodied attributes and contradictions exemplative of America – strength and courage in the face of unimaginable persecution; brashness, ego, and a desire for celebrity; and the ability above all to do amazing things. Our collective memory forgets his greatness as the first African-American champion. He was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World in a day when that title equated to the world's strongest and toughest man. For this man to be black was a cataclysmic paradigm shift for American society (and the white race worldwide). I sought the beauty of the boxing ring and its heroic figures, and also the parallel fight and dance of making art, all intertwined within the imagery of the courage and failures of Jack Johnson. 

A book of drawings and mixed media work of my series of Jack Johnson, his time and environment, and the action and intensity of the boxing ring.

These pieces are finished sketches, but they are not complete works; they lack a certain expansion of concept, concentrating only upon a specific part or character in their world. They act as phrases; I believe they directly express a certain thought or idea, though they do not form a complete sentence. Still, the works get at whatever they attempt to express in a way that is sincere, precise and immediate. Some lead to or have been born from larger and/or more developed pieces, others exist as singular works. 

In relationship to my series depicting powerful figures intertwined with American history, heroism, myth and culture, I often start by drawing or painting figures in an attempt to extract an expression of form and concept. Some are relatively straightforward examinations of form. Some veer towards the abstract or fantastic in an attempt to get at a larger truth or mythology that has become truth. Some turn towards a formal study of material on the framework of image.

"The White City" was the title of the Columbian Exposition in 1893 of the 400th anniversary celebration of Europeans discovering the Americas. It was a glimmering, temporarily-built city of white plaster (meant to look like marble) that was neo-classical in architecture, meant to celebrate America's ascension on the world stage at the end of the 19th century. I chose this subject as a symbol of an American city - grand and powerful, posturing as an extension of ancient Rome while frail in its exterior of white. The city and its sideshow carnival of "otherness" serve as various metaphors for race, power, and the history of our country.

Within my studies of the White City and the powerful figures of Presidents and leaders, Theodore Roosevelt struck me as a particularly fascinating character. His great leadership as President included important military victories and a proprietary stewardship of our natural landscape, yet he was also an avowed Imperialist and acted accordingly.