THE RAIN PAINTINGS

Like an asphalt river, The Road flows continuously through our lives. It serves us and it defines us in return. Where we live, who we know, what we eat, even the air we breathe is a product of this man-made fact of life. As a symbol of freedom and as a snarled reality - The Road is everywhere and determines just about everything. In the mid-90’s, this realization initiated a series of paintings called The Long Drive. The series was based on the distanced and mobile vantage point of passing through places one would rather not be – old factory towns and secondary cities, back roads and industrial parks. Many of these areas were, and still are, like dive bars in the daytime; their dinginess uncannily exposed in the light of day. But under the cover of clouds and rain, pictures taken from the car produced the perfect brooding mood for these gritty locales. That’s when The Rain Paintings got their start. After more than 20 years, the subject matter has moved on from random glimpses seen through car windows. The images are often figurative. The rain is as much a visual effect as a token of obfuscation. Deep perspectival space coexists with the splatters that acknowledge the canvas’s otherwise invisible presence. Artificial light pervades the nightscapes, while a common pallor lights the day. And the scenes themselves range from straightforward to bizarre, friendly to menacing. But through it all, the one constant is The Road, which never ends.