The End of the Arc

Not long after I began making paintings from Civil War era photos, I made this painting… It was a sketch of what I projected would be the aesthetic of the last series in this enormous body of work. I hypothesized that it would take me thirty years to complete the arc of the project… slowly breaking down the historical images into unrecognizable smears. I don’t know why I latched on to this notion that I could or would commit myself to such a long, deep investigation. It’s fairly insane. It’s been about thirteen years now, and the work still feels inspired and somehow important to me. But, it seems ridiculous sometimes… oftentimes. I haven’t really found an audience for it, and I’m not even sure how substantial/quantifiable my efforts have been. Regardless, I keep at it with a mountain of faith (and a muddy river of doubt). It seems to be a testament to persistence in the face of opposition… or, insanity.