here are some things i am selling. they are just prints, signed and numbered. i made 30 of each, when they’re gone they’re gone. they’re in simple black frames with stands, so you have the option of hanging them or sitting them on a desk or shelf.

thanks for considering supporting my art!

Small Radiant Heart- 5″ x 7″
$25

Artist Statement

Words are important to me as a songwriter. Language, visual art, and music are inseparable–all means of communicating truth. The process of my visual art is essentially the same as my songwriting: with a song, I use words with melody; with a painting I use words with color and shape. In both mediums I make use of contrast, texture, vivid colors, words, and metaphor.

The work in this series grew out of the discovery that I had a heart condition, Mitral Valve Prolapse. Through this I developed an interest in the human body’s relationship to the emotions, in a direct physiological way and also in a metaphorical sense. As the heart is essential for human life, and is perceived in the western world as the seat of the emotions, it seemed like a good place to start. My exploration of these themes led to the song “Mitral Valve Prolapse”, a music video, several paintings of hearts for the Curvature album jacket, and this series.

I have had some formal training in traditional painting and drawing, but I prefer to create collage-like pieces that are true mixed media, from computer to cardboard. The process used is as follows: I start with black words printed with an ink jet printer on 8 1/2″ by 11″ white paper. Sometimes I use interesting articles and images I find on the internet. Sometimes I use scrap paper, from printing errors at home or work, saved just before going into the trash. Then I paint the paper with an acrylic paint wash. Next I begin cutting shapes out of the painted pages and organizing them on a painted piece of square cardboard. I choose to work in squares because it leads to more flexibility with orientation. Like the scrap-paper, cardboard is eco-friendly and post-consumer. Much of the process is about putting trash to good use, making something valuable from something worthless. Finally I glue everything in place, using oil crayons to add shading and depth and a felt-tip pen to add some finishing touches with my handwriting and drawings.

Using scrap-paper adds a certain randomness to the pieces. Sometimes two words or groups of words take on different meanings by being juxtaposed, or by appearing within a certain shape. I like to allow art to take form on its own rather than forcing it. I see myself as just a messenger. I encourage you to use your own imagination when investigating the message.

Enjoy!

joe