Cat Badger
I have always been interested in the human figure; in the familiar form’s ability to convey an infinite range of emotion, of situation, of states of being, and in its capacity for recognition. It is a universal form even in its most abstract portrayal.
My work tends to be representational and/or anthropomorphic with narratives hinged on our increasingly social/unsocial world, our ties to technology and innovation, and everyday occurrences transfigured by transitional states of the psyche. I’m drawn to the contrast of color, contrast of tone, and a balance of neutral space, strong form and delicate line.
My intention is to start a narrative but leave space for interpretation. In this way, to reflect the subtler emotions that manifest and brood only internally, I choose to represent faces abstractly or have them partially hidden. By doing so I encourage the viewer to develop, without influence of a direct supply, their own relationship to the piece. Dynamic tendrils of line flow, jut or swarm from the heads of my figures in Medusa-like fashion, representing the ephemeral mind and our constantly shifting emotional states.
I imagine the figure as both biological and mechanical, organic and inorganic, as all combined. I’m interested in the relationship we have with machines. Questions I raise deal with human integrity in the rise of an increasingly mechanical world. Our prosthetic impulses. Our desire to eliminate perceived challenges or inconveniences, to increase efficiency by replacing man both mental and physical with machine. Risking apathy in the pursuit of comfort. I’m often both fascinated and unsettled by this. In my work concepts of “fluid beings” such as “organic-machine” and “prosthetic-human” are common and have led to paintings with a playful and/or haunted feel.
However, these “fluid beings” are not all strictly bio-mechanical in theme. Other figurative works touch on the contrasting relationships we have with our internal feelings, with intimacy/privacy, and with everyday occurrences: A tree-bound owl, a coupling spoiled by a voyeur, a body swept into the ocean void, or the altercation between a cicada and a cicada killer.
My non-figurative works tend to be inspired by nature and by great discoveries and innovations: A collection of marigold seeds. Scientific enterprises such as the Hadron collider and its mission to discover the God particle. Metaphysical observations such as Dr. Emoto’s love experiment, where he imparted on water strong emotions to be reflected back at the molecular level. These images usually take abstract form and are somewhat symmetrical with a center point reaching outward. It is the nature of these discoveries or observances I wish to portray, as a thought, bursting outward from a single point and sending ribbons of possibilities out in every direction.
To this point in my life, my work has been primarily visual fiction, intended to inspire emotion and arouse curiosity. These paintings are dynamic and engaging, rich in color and movement. They explore the complexities and relationships we have with our internal and external worlds.