2000
For over 15 years my work has explored the power of myth and the images that comprise it. This exploration has brought me into the realm of cultures and religions the world over and throughout time. During this journey my conceptions of art as an academic or didactic endeavor have been transformed. Art, culture, mythology and spirituality, like being itself, are all HUMAN traits, growing out of our innate longing to connect with the unknowable mystery of existence. My immersion in these myths and images has unalterably expanded and deepened my conception of humanity.
In this new millennium the idea of art/culture making as a human trait is an important distinction. We live on a small planet where many cultures have evolved in relative isolation to create myths and images that reinforce a tribal or racial identification. Since mythological images and symbols are central to the development and cohesion of a culture it seems to me that if we are to move beyond our petty ethnic and religious bigotry and the havoc they wreak on humanity we must eventually develop a planet-wide mythology for one humanity, a single and unifying mythology that connects the Swahili with the Finn, the Tahitian with the Inuit. This will involve a transformation of our currently fractured mythologies into something as yet unknown, much like the transformation of Christianity from Judaism or Bahai from Islam.
For me mythology is the language of the psyche. Using this approach as an artist has led me to an inexhaustible fount of imagery and energy. I am always surprised at the depth and variety of images that the human soul can express. I don’t pretend that these pieces divine the imagery of a future culture, but new combinations of world mythic images will, I believe, be a major feature of the new culture that will find its expression in this new millennium.