The Harmony Of Opposites
"The function of the artist is the mythologization of the environment and the world."
-Joseph Cambell
Since returning from Peru, I have been living in patterns and surges. My day job brings me to the top of a mountain every day and my art practice leads me toward exciting discoveries every evening. In order to continue a strong momentum, I am projecting a sense of archetypal grandeur onto the everyday tasks and activities I engage in. This encourages me to notice the small simple elements that create balance in everything. I am able to step back and find harmony in the horrific global happenings of today by considering them in context with the discord of the entire galaxy. Just as our bodies fight wars within themselves in order to maintain health, we need conflict at the inter-human level to maintain equilibrium as a planet. This is a simple matter of the harmony of opposites; there must be pain to elicit pleasure, hate to experience love, just as all other things rely on their counterparts to exist.
Now, this does not mean that there is nothing to be done about the negative forces. It is only natural to fight for what we want and need, but there must be recognition that the battle is never ending. The battle is all there is, and it is worth fighting in. I have found joy in the battle through my art practice which itself is a never ending process of learning, sharing, discarding, and repeating.
At this time, I am focused on relationships between humans and plant life. I am creating work based on personal emotions as well as pieces that are rooted in science, philosophy, and spirituality. I strive to maintain a balance between expressing visceral experiences and exploring fact based phenomena in human/plant interactions. I hope to bring both the positive and the negative aspects of these interactions to light and play with concepts of duality that have the potential to have an enlightening affect on viewers. My current series is focused on creating moments of unusual connection between myself and the barley grass that I grow. I will eventually continue on to a second series that will take on a more controversial and ominous tone. Exploring diametrically apposed concepts and feelings like these have a widening affect on my perspective and my ability to see the bigger picture in life.