Years Series (1999-2001)

Acrylic on Canvas, 42×42 inches, 2001

I started this one the summer of 2001, which also brought many changes but also many questions, like what was going to be my next step in life.  In this one, I am in the center at my graduation, holding my diploma, in my suit.  Some symbols here are: the four doors; the microphone, girls in the background; a checker board; questions marks; money; a third leg on the globe; the American flag and Twin Towers; and an eight ball.  The microphone was there because I made my graduation speech since I was still the Student Body President.  The question marks, checker board, and doors all symbolize the difficult choices I was making, one was I was deciding on graduate schools in New York or Florida.  I had decided on Florida, when 9-11 occurred 3 days after I celebrated my 21st birthday.  I decided to stay in New York, that I did not want to leave my family and friends.  Even though that decision is not shown in the painting, it is expressed with the American Flag and the Twin Towers, which I actually added in after initially finishing the painting.

Acrylic on hand stretched Canvas, 42 x 42 inches, 2000

This painting made in the summer of 2000, culminated another year in my life.  After making “1999″, over the course of the following year I thought of this painting.  When I started this one the symbolism came out more clearly.    Here are some of the symbols: a dorm building, a overflowing beer bottle with an open book on top; the time 3:04 AM with an hour glass; a sectioned tree; a girl; a baseball field disappearing; two crossed gavels; a pub; a bridge; 1 sun; ladybugs; and several circles which represent thoughts.  The disappearing baseball field represents the overall change I felt from being a teenager or child playing sports and collecting baseball cards, now with different interests.  Those childhood interests were completely gone.  The gavels represent my role as Student Body President of my college.  The bridge connects two parts of my life, college parties and my academics which I took very seriously.  3 Am was the point I went to bed weather it was from a party or from studying very late at the library, usually my week was split between the two.

Acrylic on Canvas, 42×42 inches, 1999

I made this painting in the summer of 1999, after finishing my first year of college.  This was one of 3 paintings in the series.  The idea of this painting came to me after I started it, I initially was just painting abstract lines and shapes then filling them in with color, when I decided to put in some “hidden symbolism.” Symbolism that would only have a meaning to me.  Look for the following: 4 suns with different shapes; 3 triangles blue red and yellow; the letters spelling L-I-F-E; a imagine of The Scream; a door; a Jewish star in yellow; a sperm; four circles bunched together (the beginning of life); and a pregnant women in the middle. Each of these symbols had meaning in my life that year. The imagine of The Scream and the theme of life all came from a pivotal moment in my life that occurred that year.  It was a Wednesday night about 7:30 PM in March, I was walking from my class to the library on campus and I stopped because I came to a realization in my life at that moment, I felt a kind of internal scream.  That thought is still effecting me today, even though it’s hard to describe in words.  I was working on the African mask paintings and the reason I applied it to this painting was that a person wearing a mask could be anyone and I didn’t want to apply the figure in the painting with a specific person.