When painting the soul of myself I paint a chopped head in its most reduced form. I ask myself how can I simplify the idea and therefore the imagery of a conscious being experiencing the hardships of life. I think of beheadings, a cruel humiliating act mostly done on those most hated in history. It is a statement death, what feels like trying to right a wrong. The loss of one’s head is the stripping of one’s self. In (art)history we see the victor carrying the losers head as complete annihilation of its once opponent. Signifying the end of one person, idea, government, dishonor, a physical and metaphorical act.
Understanding and painting the cruelty that we all face in life in a way that isn’t particularly graphic or hitting us over the head is a reflection on the commonality and desensitization of cruelness we all endure on some level.
