Under the Rocks and Stones

CONTACT ORIGINAL INK GALLERY  

Instead of using subject matter that is considered vernacular, or everyday, I used subject matter that was related to the lyrics of a popular song by Talking heads in the 80s. What I wanted to express wasn’t that Talking Heads are well known and therefore pop. And nobody thinks of David Byrne and Brian Eno as pop musicians anyway. What I am trying to capture is a kind of visual memory of water flowing underground or over red rocks, an emotional journey through a dreamscape inspired by the song or in particular, the chorus. In a style done in the way a cartoonist might do it, or the way it might be described to you on an album cover, so it loses the subtleties of pop and takes on kinetic characteristics. The comic book style is converted to an abstract pseudo-cartoon style and takes on a character of its own.

The song was once described as an art-pop rumination on the existential ticking time bomb of unchecked consumerism and advancing age. I would have simply described it as an existential crisis, something we all have to wander through or experience, from time to time, as we travel the road to nowhere. The use of a comic book style is merely a device to remind the viewer that we are all common, in one way or another, in one art form or another, we are all connected. There is no moral high ground when it comes to life or art. We all question whether our lives have meaning, purpose, or value. We all judge ourselves as well. Some people base their value on things, while others base their existence on academic achievement. In this collection, I’ve ignored all of that “stuff". I want to remind the viewer that life is a gift, like surfing down an infinite river of energy, in a finite boat. So go with the flow and enjoy the ride.