...is a crooked path through the twilight zone." That's a paraphrase and the complete quote is at the bottom.* I think I have to go back through my artist's statement and cite Twilight Zone as a major influence in my life and my artistic journey. From Twilight Zone, I learned the compelling call of twisted narrative, turning straightforward storytelling into an interdimensional pretzel of unlikely and possibly insightful meaning. For that, folks, is a core concept of my consciousness.
On this day, February 16, 2018, I think I've completed the hardest work. I've reinvented myself and taken all that I could from the old life and molded it into where I go from here. I've reshaped my skills and applied them to the dream, the dream I've had since I was young, the dream to be an artist worth knowing about. Long before I wanted to be a good teacher or a skilled surfer or a dedicated father, I felt the impulse to be an artist. My first awareness of intellect was a visit to LACMA when I was still in grade school. The work I saw resonated so deeply that it amazed me that I was paying attention. I knew I was young, too young for such an impact from the work in a museum. But, what I saw in the museum that day clicked something deep within me that has focused the primary intention of my life ever since.
And, now today, I've got a series of serious works that I'm preparing to show to the world, in an attempt, courageous or frivolous, to change how we think and feel about what we see.
*Narrator: "In a way, it can be said that Walter Ryder succeeded in his life's ambition, even though the man he created was, after all, himself. There may be easier ways to self-improvement, but sometimes it happens that the shortest distance between to points is a crooked line - through the Twilight Zone."