My last series were glittered Xerox transfers and silkscreens of Elvis.  Some included text, as I felt necessary.  I am attempting to boil the text down to a directed statement that can lead the viewer into my intentions, but still allows the viewer to expand upon it with their own opinions.

Elvis and the images of his movie stills inspired this series.  In this, Elvis is not only a personal image, but represents an icon in America, and in popular culture.  He is used specifically for these reasons.  I recognized and welcome the baggage that accompanies Elvis and his image, and this is partially why I use him.   I like to think that even if a viewer that isn't a fan, they are still familiar with the image no matter what era they grew up.  To me Elvis is a symbol for many things, freedom, desire, sexuality, etc.  I feel his is the ultimate embodiment of the aforementioned.   His roles in film and in life were diverse, and all positions of power.  In life he was a celebrity, a rock star and an actor, on film he played musicians, artists, doctors, racecar drivers, millionaires, criminals, boxers, etc. At least one, if not all is somehow appealing and intriguing and that is why he is the ultimate "character" for my work.

Currently, I am using the images of swimmers/drowners, and rescuers.  They are silkscreens with only a couple of colors.  This is done specifically for the sake of limiting the palette, by making the image seem "elementary," like a child's coloring book this allows for more exploration conceptually.

The idea of drowning to me means a loss of control and power, the feeling of the unknown, an unstoppable force.  To be rescued is an amazing thing, and you realize you can't live without the help of others.  Although the literal idea of a rescue is represented, it metaphorically represents more than the rescue; they are about love, selflessness and finding happiness.

My work is a play on fantasy and reality.  I take things (thoughts, memories, dreams, and events) from my life and put them onto paper using visual elements and occasional text.  The images in my work tell a story, the story of my life, the real and the imagined.   It raises the question, are these real events, dreams or fantasies? They are ultimately a study in how my imagination relates to my reality.

I look to other artists that not only explore color (as seen in my glittered detail work) but also concept.  Warrington Colescott, William Walmsley, Andy Warhol and Ray Johnson all have a direct influence on my work, whether by use of color, technique or concept.  I am also rediscovering Richard Hamilton, a forefather in British Pop art, he successfully merged images of popular culture and concept.