Preservation Series
2019
Scroll down for descriptions of each piece
Preservation Series Statement
From the Preservation Series’ free-write emerged an image of a fetal deer from the Allegany State Park Red House Natural History Museum. A metaphor for the self-reflection process bridges how a biologist would collect and prepare animal specimens. By practicing mindfulness in daily life, evaluating personal progress mirrors preserving specimens for further study. Caught somewhere between growth and decay, the objects, animals, and people in my jars are representative of how turbulent moments need careful attention. The jars dominate most of the picture plane mimicking how these moments control a disproportionate amount of headspace. The backgrounds remain vague to show how the self-reflection process is internal, perpetuating the idea of being trapped in one’s infinite thought-loop, therefore cut-off from both the present moment and the external environment.
"Specimen Seven: Beatification”
8x10in, graphite on wood-filler covered illustration board, 2019
Beatification refers to the process of a person becoming recognized as a saint. There usually is a five year waiting period, a mandatory number of miracles performed, and a review to confirm the person lived a truly venerable and holy life before becoming canonized. I found this similar to how animal specimens are preserved after death--there is a specific process of soaking, draining, and changing formalin (highly toxic preservation fluid), and how the animal's life after death fuels future study and observation. "Seven" in the title is considered a holy number in the Christian Bible since it was how many days God created the world in and refers to ideas of completion, perfection, and achievement. In the jar is the head of a young girl (I referenced singer Billie Eilish if you're interested) and the tentacles of an octopus because they are incredible soulful, intelligent, and mysterious creatures. I highly recommend reading the book "The Soul of an Octopus" by Sy Montgomery.
"Specimen One: Sanctuarium”
18x24in, oil on board, 2019
Sanctuarium is a Latin word for sanctuary and describes a place to keep special things safe. The creature is an actual specimen found at the Allegany State Park natural history museum which I often visit. The label on the real jar reads “White-tailed deer, embryo 4 months old, from injured mother deer, February 1960.” This specimen is what sparked my idea for this series. For this jar in particular, I chose to use the face of actor Charlie Hunnam. In my last series called Respite, that portrait of him included a black and white representation of a hill range that I also took at Allegany State Park. To try to keep this already lengthy description brief, I chose to paint him because this series represents preciousness, captured attention, and self-reflection, and for me all of those ideas are embodied by him and his role in King Arthur (2017, directed by Guy Ritchie ). For me it’s a funny, powerful, and introspective look at self-actualization. As I struggled with self-doubt, this movie and his role came at the perfect time, showing me an embodiment of confidence and growth as I continue to read theories of self-development and psychology texts. Combined with the fetal deer, I’d hope this piece possibly hints at the strength of vulnerability and of realizing potential. If you made it reading this far, thank you. And if you’d ever like to know more about one of my artworks, my process, or anything else, please feel free to ask.
"Specimen Two: Terminus”
18x24in, oil and graphite on board, 2019
This was a major change in the series as I intended to paint the whole thing but was advised to leave the underdrawing in pencil, as is. I was surprised, but as a few days went by, I saw it was the right choice. When I asked why they felt the work was fine in this ‘unfinished’ stage, they said the pencil, the lines, the scribbled shading, the notes I took as I was drawing (of poems, songs, quotes, and trying to identify the snake species), the smudges of black paint from when I painted the sides, the grid lines, etc. are incredibly important, and that the process can be just as important if not more so than the final result. That these frenzied scribbles and obsessive notes are as much a part of my art (and of myself as a person) as my more tight or detailed paintings. He spoke of how the ‘imperfections’ make the work feel more raw, energized, and more genuine. They said it all much more cohesive and poetic than that but perhaps ironically without looking at my notes from that day, this is as much as I can remember. Anyways, here’s my favorite musician Shakey Graves in a specimen jar with two snakes. It’s a bit of a reference to his song “Word of Mouth,” because his music makes me nostalgic for a life I’ve never lived.
