Civil Union

Oil on Canvas, 3.5'x6'

    This was my next painting in my childhood memories series.  I realized that I wanted to focus on landscapes of my childhood, both internal and external.  This is a view of the house I grew up in throughout elementary school.  I lived in this place the longest, so far.  My elementary school was a block away, and I walked to school everyday.  Sometimes my mom would walk with me.  There often seemed to be a haze, whether it was crows, or just the normal gray sky's of the Inland Empire.   It always came across a little ominous to me.

    Abraham Lincoln symbolizes many dichotomy's within our society.  As our society has it's dichotomy's so did my youth.  I understood from an early age that United States history is not what they teach you in elementary school.  Lincoln is a huge figurehead used throughout elementary to symbolize "everything that is good in the United States."  (take that how ever you want to)  He also had a very particular recognizable face.  I wanted the viewer to have something in the painting to automatically connect to, considering everything else about it is very personal.  I did not want to make a statement either.  His head is just placed in the painting, but there is nothing within in the painting itself to imply any particular feelings on my part.  That is for the viewer to decide.

Untitled

Oil on Canvas, 3'x6'

This painting, following the same theme of memories of my childhood, is my parents bedroom in the apartment I grew up in.  I believe it was also painted in 2004.  I have very particular memories of this room, and a lot of those were in late afternoon when the sun would hit both the windows leaving the room in a glow.  We had this particular shag carpeting that I have yet to recreate to my satisfaction.  I wanted this painting to be from my perspective as a kid, so I stretched out the room, and tried to have it at a viewpoint lower than an adults height.  This began my larger paintings.