the white frames

8. 26. 25

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For my show at The Verona Public Library, I have framed both my Margaret’s Crosswalks series and The Universe Series in lattice, painted white, with oil paint.

This is the first time that I have done so.

A brief history of my frames:

When I first started painting in NYC, whether it was on stretched canvas or a wood panel; rather than frame the piece; I would paint an outer black frame with an inner white line on the actual painting.

It just felt right.

When the director of the gallery asked me why, I told him it was how we see things; as if we are standing at the mouth of a cave, our eye sockets forming the walls.

As if we eternally live in darkness, informed by what we view and/or experience, in this case my painting.

Eventually, as the paintings slowed down, became more precise, I began to frame with white inner lattice, surrounded by black lattice.

My explanation had evolved to it representing the two extremes, and everything in between.

For my Inside & Outside, Ideal & Reality show, the black outer lattice was covered with black twisted rope and string, the white inner line remained untouched.

My message here was that the ideal is always pure and simple when conceived; but once applied, the reality out there can be twisted and ugly.

You can see examples of all three of these framing phases in my gallery link above.

Eventually, I started showing my work nude: no frame.

It’s like, any frame of any kind is going to say something about the painting.

The frame sets the viewer up to see the painting this way or that.

What I wanted to say, was that I didn’t want to say anything.

I didn’t want to do any thinking for the viewer.

Let them decide everything for themselves, based only on the work.

Take those fancy ornate frames off of Monet’s paintings at The Met, and I bet you they all look really different.

See the work as the artist sees it when making the decisions within.

This phase went on for a long time.

Until now: the white frames.

They are like light boxes.

Something has changed.

The switch has been flipped.

It’s time to do this thing.

Create it for real.

Fresh start.

New beginning.