code paintings
My code paintings are critiques of digital culture, the mutability of meaning, and the ways in which software is shaping contemporary culture.

Studies

In 2011, a fire destroyed my studio in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. In the aftermath and the wreckage, I found a stack of old charcoal drawings on newsprint. They became the seed for this body of work.
For current works, please contact Gruen Gallery.

Body History

The paintings in this cycle are based on events and ideas that leave significant marks on our collective and individual bodies. They are rendered using sgraffito, in acrylics on canvas. Sgraffito is a technique where a surface is scratched to reveal what lies underneath. It was used in the illumination of manuscripts, as well as in architectural decoration during the Renaissance, and in Islamic pottery. For my purposes, the meaningful part is that the process is subtractive, rather than additive.
For current works, please see artworkarchive room.

Emotive Ecosystems

These artworks simulate complex adaptive systems, such as those found in natural ecosystems, but also in our own bodies and in our relationships. They play out distinct stories through the nearly infinite scenarios that unfold. Once started, the movements are impossible to predict and unlikely to repeat.

Data Trash

Paintings inspired by the the demoscene, a subculture made up of groups and solo artists engaging in competition and collaboration on technical and artistic projects. Members often obfuscate their digital footprint to adhere to an ethical code that developed independently of the mainstream internet, a practice that has been ongoing since the mid-to-late-nineties. In the "scene," there is a strong emphasis on challenging technological constraints, some of which were cemented in its early days. Making images out of ASCII characters (letters and numbers) is one of its staples. As to why, this is my way of bringing our software-infused world into the realm of painting and galleries.

questions for painters

All the questions I had about painting, written on the gallery walls.

A Cosmology of You

Multi-channel sound based on an Adorno composition; a collaboration with Liviu Pasare and Thomas Masters.

The Sublime - a chase
A long running inquiry into the Abstract Expressionist messaging about the sublime. Based mostly on the writings of Robert Motherwell and Barnett Newman, these pieces can be seen as conversations between me and the materials. They are primarily made on mylar sheet - for ease of transport and durability - using dry pastels, charcoal, acrylic medium, and spray paint. Each piece starts with writing a phrase over and over, which then evolves into utter ineligibility and sometimes beauty. The phrase is F**k the sublime".
With some research support from the Dedalus Foundation.