FADE OUT is an investigation of the urban landscape.

In examining this particular series, it is important to separate the work into two categories. Though the early and later works are tied together by the common theme of urban landscapes, what exactly it is I am trying to say through the pieces changes drastically from piece number 1 to piece number 9.

The earlier more graphic work is an investigation into overcrowding, pollution, and a general overload of information. These facets of urban life are clearly reflected through my process. These compositions, from areas of extreme detail to areas of solid black, are created with a technical pen. The process itself is characterized by an obsession with line making. When I begin these pieces, it is my objective to fill the canvas with as many lines as possible. My compositions never lack detail. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that my pieces have an excess of detail – too much going on without a place for the eye to rest.

The subject matter of these pieces reflects, perhaps more explicitly, these same exact issues. In these pieces, seemingly endless buildings line the horizon, waste filled sewer systems fill the undergrounds, and disjointed figures wander the streets. The characters themselves, often awkward and alien in nature, are absorbed in their own thoughts. It is these characters that I decided to focus on more closely in my later works.

My later pieces are more concerned with narrative. While the cityscape theme is still evident in all the pieces, I place much more emphasis on the figures within the landscape. What these figures are doing and how they interact with each other is important. The later work also reflects a change in process. The meticulous and controlled style used in the early pieces is replaced by a more expressive and spontaneous process. Space in these pieces is defined by splatters and ink washes rather than the hard line of a technical pen. Compositionally, my later work is simpler. Conceptually, it is more sophisticated. These pieces depict the crime, isolation, and loneliness of individuals within a chaotic landscape – they are intended to evoke an overwhelming sense of melancholy.

The process of these later works can be characterized by the term “push and pull.” Each of these paintings began with the splattering of gesso on a panel. Using spray paint, newspaper, tissue paper, ink and various other materials, I’d then start to create landscapes out of the initial form. The process basically involves pushing things that I don’t like back and bringing things that I do like forward until the landscape is complete. The spontaneity of this process is a reflection on the way in which cities are built. Everyday, new structures are squeezed in between the cracks of old ones in an effort to maximize use and minimize cost. What works is kept, what doesn’t is torn down and quickly replaced.

The subject of these later paintings focuses mainly on my silhouettes. These figures, surrounded by my chaotic landscapes, are often hard to find. It is my intention that these figures are not the first thing you notice, rather, I want the viewer to examine the atmospheric qualities of the painting before realizing that there are narratives taking place. It is this subtle, somewhat hidden element of narrative that is intended to evoke and portray this sense of isolation and loneliness. These figures are overpowered by the environment they are placed in. They are seemingly unimportant – fading in and out of the cityscapes in which they exist.