History Exists But Imperialism Has Spaces To Hide It

oil and wax on linen on panels
18" x 50"

$2,500

oil on wax on linen on panel
32" x 48"

$6,500

My latest body of work, Picturing History: Lights, Darks, Cameras, and Action!, emphasizes that the past is never really gone. The series examines the history of oil painting, television, cinema, and U.S. Empire building through memories inspired by my family photo album during the era of the Cold War.

The staged narratives of my paintings, drawings, prints and films re-present my parents as strawberry sharecroppers in the California Central Valley in their attempts to participate in the American Dream. Other historic actors include Joe McCarthy, Arthur Miller, Roy Cohn, Fidel Castro, Louis Armstrong, Jackson Pollock, Rita Hayworth and Pedro Infante to name a few. Juxtaposing histories and manipulating aesthetics is my way of creating a visual connection between past and present. It is also my way of questioning “official knowledge” and challenging the viewer to question how past beliefs and value systems continue to influence and shape how we see others, the world and ourselves.