1980s art works

I began using objects in my paintings in the 80s. They were a logical outgrowth to the collage work I had branched into after my intial figurative paintings of the 1970s, which were really excercises in learning how to use paint. Three dimensional works are the most difficult to see via a photo. I hope that these paintings will give you a flavor for what the real deal looks like. When I was started painting like this in the 80s, I could find very few artists who also painted with objects. Then in the 90s, every art magazine you opened featured half of the paintings which used objects. Today you can't find any art magazines anymore. Most have gone bankrupt and the few that remain are getting thinner and thinner. They look like the art magazines of the 90s just before they disappeared. The articles in those magazines have almost nothing to do anymore with current painting. They talk of exhibits of the abstract expressionists (now 60 years old paintings) and the like. If you doubt me, go into a store and see if you can find a magazine on modern art anymore. The few if any you will find are as thin as tin foil. Painting as a medium, that attempts to convey new thoughts, sits at its own deathbed. If you look at the picture titled "Cemetary", (below) that is how I felt about oil on canvas in the 80s. I had no idea it was the future state of painting in total.

Other pictures such as "Thunderstorm" were meant to evoke the sound of a thunderstorm (similar sounds made by the materials in the picture when they vibrated). I have some more commentary below the pictures if you care to read more.

If you would care to see a photo montage of the 1990s paintings click the triangle button in the box below.


The pictures shown statically and without music follows:

college texts painting jpeg
Title: Book Burning. My college notebooks, texts and Oil on Plywood. Size 4' x 3'





Gallaghers pub painting jpeg side view gallaghers pub painting jpeg
Gallghers Pub. Sideview on right. Ukulele, bass ale box, cord, potato sack and Oil on Plywood. Size 4' x 8'





first still life painting jpeg
Still Life.
Bottle, stretcher strips & ball on wood. Size 3' x 2'





cnvass with hole painting jpeg
Monster. Oil, rubber pipe, chain on canvas. Size 4' x 8'





thunder painting jpeg
Thunderstorm.
Paint, metal packing straps & plastic on plywood.
Size 8' x 4'





cemetary of paint painting jpeg
Cemetary.
Paint, empty oil tubes & brushes on canvas.
Size 2' x 3'





box spring painting jpeg
Springs.
Cloth, wood, photos, plastic bottle & paint on a box spring.
Size 6' x 7.5'





skylark tire painting jpeg me standing by skylark tire painting jpeg
He's got the whole world in his hands. Tire & paint on plywood.
Photo on right to give you an idea of how large these pictures are. Size 4' x 8'





power on reset painting jpeg
Power On Reset.
System buttons and paint on canvas. Size 2' x 3'





first concept painting jpeg oracle painting jpeg
The First Concept (left) and Oracle (right)
Paint cans, wire & boxes (First Concept-left). Speakers, chain & career evaluation printout - High School (Oracle-right)
w/Oil on 1"x4"s (left). Size 2' x 6'. w/Oil on Plywood (right). Size 2' x 3'
The career evaluation said my top 2 careers would be either as an artist or working outdoors. Suggested I operate bulldozers.





trophy for kelly painting jpeg sandbox painting jpeg
Trophy for Kelly (left). American Sandbox (right).
Cast, Fridge door, cloth w/Oil on 1"x2"s (left). VolksWagon running board, wood, bottles w/Oil on canvas (right).
Size 6' x 8' (left). Size 3' x 4' (right)





handicapped painting side one jpeg handicapped painting side two jpeg
Handicapped Painting side 1 (left) and side 2 (right).
Wheels, cans, crutch, wood & Iron w/cord, spring with oil on Plywood.
In case you were wondering, yes all five wheels worked, the painting could and did roll.
Size 6' x 4'


Photo montage of the 1980s paintings set to music. This montage shows the paintings much larger. Click the back button on your browser to return to this page once montage completes. Sometimes you must hit reload the page a few times as I wrote the code for the montage and it is a little glitchy. You will know when you have seen the entire montage as you will return to the starting images.

1980s art works with music

A word about meanings. Some of these were symbolic and others simply expressive. An example is the painting "Trophy for Kelly". In college we did many really stupid things. One of these was a game we played once at 3AM called mountain man hopscotch. In this game you had to had progressively leap further onto the hopscotch board drawn on our floor. The board was only 12' long or so but there were logistical difficulties one had to contend with such as you had to run up the hallway, make a sharp left turn and then takeoff with some degree of control. Now my roomate in college was/is a large human by anyones definition (6'4" - 250lbs) and he made the first leap attempt of the entire board, which technically speaking would have made him the winner. So we argued as to whether or not his foot had touched the endline and decided to place pool balls on the endline thereby giving us an unassialable referee as to whether or not he cleared the board. Kelly comes sprinting up the hallway, hangs a sharp left and goes airborn (a 250 lb man in full flight in crampt room is a image that will never dull in my mind). . . Not one but both of his feet landed directly on the two pool balls, which propelled him full speed into a concrete wall. He stopped himself with using his arm. Since we were on the seventh floor the broken arm was better then the alternative, which was the open window inches from Kelly's hand that he had used to stop himself with. Kelly gave me his first cast worn only two days before he broke that cast and required another. It is mounted in the painting. Incidently Kelly did clear the board on his first attempt but I am tad competitive and wouldn't give him the win that easily. . . victory must be earned! Do me a favor and don't tell him this if you see him though, he is still a pretty big guy ;-)

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