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B-2 Pledge of Allegiance
B-2 Pledge of Allegiance, oil on canvas, 2002, 48" X 68" To B-2 Pledge of Allegiance oil on paper Notes from the artist's journal on B-2 Pledge of Allegiance, March 17, 2002 This painting is about a shift or change in perceptions. This is the only painting I've done that was directly inspired by the events of September 11. Prior to that time I thought about the B-2 as a cool shape, a futuristic looking machine like science fiction. I was amazed it could fly. I didn't think about the people flying it, what they were achieving, what was in their minds. I hadn't thought about the Pledge of Allegiance for years, perhaps not really since grade school. Back then it was something to memorize, like a song or a prayer. I don't recall thinking about the meaning of the words. In our Catholic grade school I'm sure many kids didn't. Some of them said "Amen" at the end out of prayer habit. In a way it didn't have a meaning in the manner it was intended. After September 11, I thought about every word. Each word contributed to what was intended. It represented our country. Thinking about our service people getting ready for a mission in a B-2, going in harms way for the ideals Americans believe in, the Pledge took on incredibly important meaning - a shift or change in perception. The painting is simple yet complex. The B-2 shape can be read as a positive or a negative - it reverses in the viewer's perception. The loose brush strokes are soft and the surface and edges of the B-2 shape are crisp and hard. The repetition of the Pledge invokes grade school class recitations, writing on the blackboard, thoughtless memorization. Inscribing it on the B-2 shape imbues it with new relevance and the true meaning of the words and ideals of America. The loose brush strokes can be viewed as pleasant amber waves of grain or violent motion. It suggests speed and lack of clarity. The B-2 shape invokes engraving on ancient Egyptian basalt funerary art, the wall of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington DC as well as science fictionish future machines. The loose brush strokes suggests the American action painting movement in art. Immediately after painting B-2 I thought it might be a little too crisp, too tight in execution. After only a couple of days I'm reminded that the painting changes as it dries. Reflectivity of areas change. Areas that are smooth will become slightly textured. Opaque paint will become somewhat translucent in spots. It will settle into more imperfection and become the painting it was meant to be. I believe this painting embodies the strongest concept I've yet developed. |
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