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| Philosophy of Dirt, 2011-12 |
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This ongoing series of works on paper utilizes soil samples from various sites across the world
with an emotionally charged resonance. Each square is composed with one dirt sample,
collected from sites such as Setouchi, Pearl Harbor and Los Angeles. After refining the sample
into a powder, each place is allowed to exist unadorned, just as it is, in a contemplative hand
drawn square shape on the paper. |
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| Dissonance, 2009-11 |
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How do the meanings of words shift in different cultural contexts? Jack paints everyday items such as paint cans and tea boxes with dissonant labels evoking humor, contemplation and irony. |
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| Circles, 2005-07 |
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The circular form serves as a harmonious shape that establishes a meditative space free from adornment. In using the circular form I am building upon the art of prehistory and its philosophical significance as an icon that has no beginning and no end. From a contemplative space where the nature within is just as important as the nature outside I create work that evinces harmony between form and content. |
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| Calligraphic Comparisons, 2004-08 |
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In the meditative process of making ink by hand from black walnut husks, I become intimate with my pigments far before they reach paper. The process of separating, boiling, filtering, and purifying my ink is a practice of mindfulness in action. Tapping into the expansiveness of the universe through one particular element I find meaning in a penumbral space. I believe the organic medium with which work is created is tantamount to its representational ability to serve as a vehicle for literal or metaphorical meaning. |
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| Mindscapes, 2004-05 |
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I do not believe in depicting nature, but rather I am interested in giving it precise expression just as it is. Thus I paint landscapes from memory, relying on the spirit of nature impressed on the mind rather than the outward appearance of mountains. I concentrate on the purities of space, tone, shape and composition in my work. Simple lines allow the subtle properties of ink to reveal itself in the active white space contained in a raw sheet of paper. These paintings are part of my ongoing investigation with the expressive capacities of ink and essence. |
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| Untitled, 2003-09 |
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These untitled works on paper are just as much about what is not there as what is. The squares serve as a raw form by which the subtle properties of ink can reveal themselves. These squares exist not only as conceptual building blocks, but also as references to the active white space contained in a sheet of paper. By using handmade walnut ink made from natural materials I become familiar with my medium of expression far before the brush touches the paper. |
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