Straight from the horse’s mouth: this painting is “about my self-conscious desire to be original or unique. In the painting, the figure is venturing blind, holding a zoning stake, looking for solid ground to mark its ‘creative territory ‘. Surrounded by a swamp-like area, there is no solid ground. I think this painting is symbolic of the feeling we have of creating new things when there is nothing new under the sun. The ‘creative real-estate’ left available is smaller and smaller especially in an old genre like figurative painting. Instead of trying to find a large plot to stake my claim, I think I have found a bunch of tiny plots between other plots that collectively add up to a something. I look forward to continuing that journey.”
