Concentration

Wood on Wood

This piece attempts to speak to the many things humans alter and destroy, but then ultimately, spend much time and resources trying to repair or return to their original state.

We spend millions of dollars and years of work trying to repair the environment and ecosystems that, ironically, would have thrived if it weren’t for our reckless actions in the first place. Our efforts are so often in vain, considering, as exemplified by this artwork, that whatever is rebuilt or repainted can never match the complexity and intricacy of what lay before or beneath it.

So often, we believe that there is always a Ctrl-z to life. Whatever actions we take can be undone by the perceived superiority and greatness of human technology. The universe is profoundly complex; what we remake might be close, or even seemingly an exact replica, only it will never be the same.

This piece implores the audience to reflect upon their actions and to understand that, while we may take the nails out of the fence, the holes remain.

Original wood

Painted® wood

In connection to my concentration, this piece is likewise a tribute to the material of wood. Something integral to human progress but so often seen as part of something and rarely alone.

When people pick up a piece of wood, much like when I picked up this canvas, they think about what to make with it. However, there is much beauty to the wood—its grains, its textures, and its colours—that is often untapped and unexplored and is what I hope to amplify in this painting.

The Final Wood

Viewed from multiple angles.

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