'Lines and Divides'

This body of work conceptualizes boundaries that have come and gone in the course of my own lifetime.

The artwork in this exhibition, ‘Lines and Divides’ conceptualizes boundaries that have come and gone in the course of my own lifetime. I see lines and divides all around me in this country that is called “United.”

Is this journey, this life, a straight line, a spin around the sun, or an orbit in space?  Does the line drawn show a journey, a path taken, or is it a symbol that separates and divides? Is a shape made with paint a divide between spaces, or is it a seam that connects diversity, joined to cooperate?

The answers are dependent on one’s personal history. This work seeks to open my own personal history, perspective, and expectations. To share a belief that the survival of humanity and our earth depends on our individual willingness to revive mutual support and cooperation.

The world is now relatively smaller as we each share space and air with a lot more people than we once did. For perspective: I was born in 1949, 73 years ago, when there were 2.5 billion people on the planet. If you were to go 73 years back from my birth year, to 1876, the population of the planet was 1.5 billion people. Now there are 8 billion people. Consider how the number of people on our planet has its effect on each of us.

If you feel stress and anxiety, so does the planet. Freedom is reduced for all because we interfere with others and can not get away. Kindness and respect for others becomes more important.

The paintings in this exhibition seek to illustrate that lines and divides can result in beauty and cooperation, thereby creating a cohesion that unifies and pulls us together. Kindness and respect can return to human exchanges.