CANVAS
SUPPLY & DENIM -- Animals are equipped with distinct features designed to help them survive the wilderness--feathers, exoskeletons, beaks, water retention. We use tools instead. I have no armour, but wear a helmet. I don't bear hind legs that propel me 10 feet into the air, yet I straddle a machine horse with no legs. We adapt. In designing instruments to compliment our nearly powerless form, we flourish. Animals are pure in design, but live fast and short. We are more complex, but have gained valuable lessons through watching the desert species develop. The beauty that exists in the resemblances of these natural and artificial worlds are married here.
BAD ASSPIRATIONS -- The 1970s produced a wide range of car styles, sometimes boxy in design, conveying a casual nod to utilitarians in an era of cool before minivans and SUVs. The Bronco, El Camino, and Grand Wagoner, for example, have all oozed their Americana on history. Their forms, along with motorcycles and tools, are represented in my work to recollect a modest toughness, a kind of bad ass. Pairing machines with subjects of femininity, or substituting righteous beliefs with mockery, are approaches I've taken to debunk what it means to be "cool". Impulsivity, and it's effects, play an important role as it reflects activities we do that feel good but aren't necessarily good for us. I like to think of this notion as bad aspirations. The double entendre alludes to a lack of ambition, while simultaneously telling a story of instant gratification and glory. It suggests a deficit of integrity and no fortitude for enduring goals. It's an ironic rebellion in a pop culture obsessed world. Twisted wit is now mainstream and everyone is satirical. It's unprofound and comforting at once. It's a culture of cool where everyone is a member.