A New Painting and thoughts on Science

30x48 in, oil on canvas.

No name yet. It's continuing in the vein of the last two smaller paintings, trying to get at the idea of a dream place, but as with many of my larger paintings I designed it as I went to be hang-able in any of the four orientations the viewer wishes. 

This is a better successor to "Prism" than I've made so far and to me it also continues the theme of light as having a dual nature, that of a projected radiance and also that of a kind of liquid object of its own substance. Semi-representational oil paint seems perfect for that kind of consideration to me. 

I don't think I want to bring my work directly into conceptual realms regarding specific scientific theory and observation, but specific scientific theory and observation certainly have a large impact on my work. It's a part of my inspiration that I don't talk as much about, perhaps because so far it's emerged in my work in a less consistent or explainable manner-- at least compared to something like 'landscape' or 'pure abstraction'. But in many ways the revelations of modern physics feel like perfect confirmations and stages for the way I want to represent the world in my art. Specifically, the chaotic nature of space itself on an unfathomably small scale, and the appearance of landscape on the much larger scale of nano-imaging, progressing up to my abstracted 'landscapes' of  natural and urban mini-scenes like twisting wood and roadkill. Not to mention the utterly intricate tangles of systems and arrangements that make up life. Also, the 'quantum packet' of light seems like a perfect parallel to the physical nature of light in a painting. Though, that idea isn't as interesting to me when what you're talking about is a painting as viewed on a screen, because then it literally is light. 

The vertical orientations might make these considerations more apparent, as well as another theme of my work which is the direct confusion and intermingling of body and landscape. (with a secret hope to totally de-politicize or 'make strange' both surfaces for at least a moment) Here's "Prism" and the new piece.

I sometimes like to think of these paintings as representing the meeting of two particles each. They are about the astounding beauty of tiny tiny things. And just as much, about the beauty of a huge landscape seen over the course of millions of years. Modern camera techniques and science writing for the layman make it easier than ever to think about the realities that are just outside our everyday perception. I'd love to do that with my work too, though of course in a much more personal and aesthetic fashion.