On May 4, 2011 I installed a show of my paintings, drawings and collages at Quirk Gallery in Richmond, VA. This is my first solo gallery show and I couldn't be happier that it happened at Quirk. The space is beautiful, the artists are carefully selected, the store is incredibly well curated, the people who work there are just the nicest...I could go on and on. Thank you Katie for this wonderful opportunity.
I created the work for this show, titled "There's No Free Lunch", over the three months leading up to the opening date. I was interested in exploring themes related to a specific type of creeping sadness that we all experience as human beings.
The show is up May5-June 24, 2011.
Statement, There's no Free Lunch:
I’m interested in sadness. Its daily management is the subject of my most recent work.
The only way to truly enjoy anything is to temporarily forget about any shame, heartbreak, guilt, regret, or outrage associated with that thing. If we can ignore the sometimes unspeakable consequences of many of our actions, we can enjoy experiences as they happen. It’s a trade. It’s the way we buy happiness.
A person can never really forget, though. Darkness always comes creeping back in. It takes different forms, but inevitably it reappears.
I’m not sure if we should try harder to forget or to remember. I’m not sure if being happy is okay when there is so much sadness connected to the things that make us happy. I’m not sure if I care too much or not enough.
By exploring these themes visually I hope to get closer to understanding where the balance should be. My goal is to connect with people about our shared and individual struggles with this heaviness.
