return of the heroic

Today I began the final realization of my dream from December.  There are supplies on the way which will enable to build 3 epic (108" x 78") canvases.  The largest size I've ever attempted, these will loom in the cavernous space of my studio and hopefully I will be up to the challenge.  I can say from working nearly as large previously that the challenges are not just compositional or skill-based; when you work with something significantly larger than yourself it presents physical challenges as well.  I stand a mighty 68" on a good day (and only after months of yoga), so there's a good 4 feet vertical and nearly a foot horizontal to contend with.

Something that my friend Mark said to me in NY has stayed with me.  We stayed up late talking about art and career and he said something to the effect that the big ones will sell the small ones, but never the other way around.  Like Rothko and others, the practical un-attainability of such a large work for most people makes the market for the smaller works hot.  These can't go in most people's houses.  They can only go in museums or large private/public spaces like atria.  Intention set forth into the universe is a powerful thing.

Looming black and ethereal, I hope that they will convey that sense of encounter I am always striving to make within my work.  When we meet something larger than ourselves, delivered on the human scale or beyond, we respond with awe.  The processes I've developed over the past half year are unforgiving and difficult to control and perhaps that's why I'm having so much damn fun.

Looking back at the 7" x 5" post card canvases I worked out my initial ideas on back in January, I see a quantum leap ahead.  I see them; I've always seen them, and I suppose that is one aspect of what it means to do what I do.  At a party in the city we talked about experience and the duty of the artist to not only provide but to bring back experiences s/he has brought back from other realms of consciousness.  I've never shied from stating that I'm interested in the sublime and the spiritual in art.

It looks to be a grand summer.