Valley Pastorale & Cooling
Valley Pastorale
Oil paint on metal window, polyester flag, scrap wood, vinyl:
(Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony," Vivaldi's "Four Seasons").
92 x 89 x 8 Inches. 2020.
Cooling
Discarded plywood, wool coat, reflective mylar, wire, paint stretchers, acrylic, oil, spray paints.
36 x 36 x 87 inches. 2020
Stretched over a window frame, a flag from 2019's Global Climate Strike march in Ithaca, NY serves as the canvas for a summertime scene in the valley where I grew up. No paint was applied to the textured “backside:” all color and texture were pushed through from the “front.” Two hanging vinyl records complete the Climate Strike logo’s bullseye: Beethoven’s "Pastoral Symphony" and Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons." All four sides of the records are painted with reversible, spinnable scenes: fantastical forests in dramatic weather; the remains of the Hiroshima dome, and outlines of sparse buildings from above.
Based on themes and imagery from Michelangelo Antonioni's 1964 film, "Red Desert," this sculptural painting reflects industry, alienation, entrapment, dreams, and industrial degradation through intentional materiality.