So I did this group of work between late 2007 and late 2008. I exhibited these works at one of the last shows held in EXPgallery and in local venues around Chicago. They were the first in a new technique for me. I call it the Reverse Scratch Technique. It is a bit more than just scratchboard... The technique involves drawing, painting, and relief carving/scratching.
The content has been a slow development. I am still unlocking it as you read this here. It is largely about social ineptness and uncomfortable situations. I was thinking that this work was a return to a past theme known as "Soulyard". Soulyard comes from my musical interests that come from many sources, specificaly early Jazz and Blues as well as 80s Punk and more. The actual title of the group is "Between Midnight and Day".
It took me a few months to realize the imagery took place at night. The absence of light is an aesthetic choice but also symbolic. It has a lot to do with the current condition of the Human race in 21st century America. The addiction to technology and as a result from nature. There is also a sense of lonelyness which is intentional. I often would think about the archaic way of describing a "dark age" in a culture. Where the light of creativity was assumed to go dim.
