Statement

The beginning process of painting strikes me as magical; much like a birth. Painting fills me with a sense of both accomplishment and integrity, and has proven the most amenable vehicle for translating my inner vision into an outer reality.

I don’t set out to produce art about one particular subject or another. Action painting is the core of my work, utilizing the largest scale possible for each project; the expression of a boundless sensory experience, and a flow of working with an unconscious mind. Most of my paintings are rooted and influenced from the depths of the horns in jazz music, largely free jazz, which I find to be very unpretentious and yet very substantial.

While I use a variety of materials in each project, my methodology is consistent. The subject matter of each body of work is determined by the materials. The individual pieces are linked by recurring shapes and movements which are universally known. The repetitive nature of my work frees my imagination, provides many opportunities for happy accident, and allows for a graceful finish to the piece.

I prefer not to explain a certain piece of work. As an artist, I feel that if you’ve created an image that is how you wanted it to be it delivers the right message, because there isn’t a wrong message. Each person takes something a little different from the same picture, and I’m happy with that. I would rather explain my work with a smile or a tear.

-joey thate