SCHOOL LUNCH: Oil Paintings
Artist Statement
I am a figurative painter whose imagery is informed through personal experience, imagination, and direct observation. The paintings comprising the SCHOOL LUNCH series present images concerning the nature of relationships. My goal is to create humanistic awareness in a framework that is universally recognized.
The SCHOOL LUNCH series is a pictorial essay of contemporary student life in real educational settings. Contemporary cross-cultural issues and their emotional attitudes are explored in the shared experience of school lunch. SCHOOL LUNCH was generated from direct observation, drawing on location, afternoons in the lunchrooms of NYC as well as surrounding-area high schools. SCHOOL LUNCH has expanded to include university and college campuses.
As part of the college exhibitions, I am often invited on campus as a “resident/visiting artist.” This engaging opportunity allows me access to a wide scope of activities to record visually (e.g., La Guardia Community College’s Salsa/ Jazz Festival) and create drawings at the event, including the interaction of students and musicians. As a visiting artist, I offer presentations, workshops, discussions, and critiques to engage the students in the “curriculum beneath the curriculum” experience.
SCHOOL LUNCH underlines the perceptions which affirm cultural identity, brings together ideas espousing contemporary concerns, and encourages a belief in the quality of human spirit. My objectives include continuing to forge a bridge connecting a multi-cultural society with achievement through cooperation and the tolerance provided by a positive visual model.
