Digging Pitt Gallery
March 9 - April 8, 2006

The images below are of the separate installations in the gallery. There are several digital pieces that are included in the show. You can view them in the Digital Portfolio or by clicking here. To see images from the reception and Artist Talk, click here.
These pieces are from the Shadow series. The numbered pieces in this series were created along the Allegheny River, near Washington’s Landing Bridge, the Phipp's Conservatory and in the rooftop garden at the Brew House, an artists’ collective on Pittsburgh’s Southside. Traced from cast shadows or rendered Plein-air, the works reflect the tranquility in these refuges from a busy metropolis. The concept I am exploring in this series is an internal one of seeking respite. Rendering the patterns created by light and shadow reduces the complex subtleties of overlapping leaves, but allows an appreciation of the shape as an abstraction. I believe names would bring precision to a subject that is inherently random, so I have chosen to leave the works untitled. Additional pieces from this series can be found in the Shadow portfolio. You can get detailed views here.
 Original Sin Series
This series, begun in 2003, has been generated in response to researching the myth of Eve. Like all myths, these are open to interpretation based on current cultural imperatives and understanding. The effects of the Eve myth are woven into contemporary society, undermining the place of women even now. For centuries, woman has been blamed for the sin of being human. The central issue of the Eden myth is of choice and free will. The tree represents the knowledge of good and evil and original sin was disobedience.

The motifs associated with Eve are the snake and the apple. Christianity, an eastern religion, evolved to include western European culture. The apple is a fruit indigenous to the area. When Christianity began to promulgate in the northern regions, the populace had to identify with the symbols used in the mythology.

As interesting is researching the connotations associated with snakes in western mythology. The snake has been described as a subtle creature. In some cultures, the snake is a symbol of wisdom. The medical profession uses the snake as a symbol for healing. As a modern culture, the snake is anthropomorphized into the embodiment of calculation and impersonal regard.

I have chosen to represent the symbols associated to this myth in a different light. The meaning changes by representing the apple as a seductive, luscious icon. The fruit is offered in gargantuan scale, its presence undeniable and its appeal self-explanatory. The snake is represented as an animal with no intelligence of its own. Its part in the myth is undermined and accountability devolves to the protagonist. Acceptance of accountability is the only way that the connotations associated with this myth will ever evolve.

These are very recent works. The works are split between the Drawing and Original Sin portfolios. Detaile can be found here and here.
Details about these works can be found here. These works are from the Original Sin series.
The Word. These pieces incorporate pages from the Scoffield study bible. Detail images can be found here.
This series is a work in progress and has taken eighteen months to date. Twelve serpents are planned for the series. Detail views can be found in the Original Sin portfolio.
A few new paintings, two of which use gold leaf. Details on these pieces can be found here.