As a young child, my parents always watched the evening news and I would see clips of people fighting in distant countries. My mother and father would give vague answers when I asked about it, as I tried to make sense of what was going on. The attacks, blood, and terrorized people were always illogical in my developing mind, and they still are. Why couldn’t they just get along? Since then I have sought to understand the madness of war.
In war, regardless of what side you are on, there is just agony, destruction, and senseless killing. Can seeing the effects of violence upon innocent people change our perspective of conflict? How staggering is the cost when human life is the currency? Cutting through the illusions of mass media I simply focus on humanity. Transcending a precise time and place, I choose to make these images represent combat from almost anywhere in the world.
Deeply troubled by the current conflict, I am moved to draw and paint moments of extreme pain, fear, and suffering, human emotions at their greatest magnitude. Depicting times of endless waiting, the instant a bomb explodes, loved ones grappling with loss, or sifting through rubble that was once a home, I seek to bear witness to the impacts of war.
The capitalistic interests of mass media influence the stories that are told. This distortion in the news causes people to align themselves with certain factions or politics without even knowing the facts or history of the situation. I work hard to uncover the unrelenting bias and capture the essence of humankind. I look to journalists and photographers who are actually on the ground, amidst the fighting and destruction.
In active gestures, using my non-dominant hand, I make quick and abstract sketches relying on a combination of contour drawing and blind contour marks. The foundation of these harsh and extracted lines creates a wide and universal platform in which to ground the moment. I then add detail to the work by painting it with acrylic colors, often muted, capturing the dusty or smoke-filled air of the combat zone or the stark mood of survivors. My blocky, handwritten text adds another visual element, drawing attention to the underlying intent of my composition and perhaps a window into what these people are going through.
See more images from my Madness of War series.
