One of the questions artists get most often is "what does it mean?". It can be annoying at times, but it's a valid question. The tone and content of the answer often depends on the tone of the question itself. If it's asked out of legitimate curiosity, it's met with a thoughtful answer. But often it's an attack on an artist as a way to bait them into a discussion they may not be equipped to have. For me, "meaning" is at the core of my work no matter how abstract it may seem.
EVERYTHING HAS MEANING
For my upcoming exhibition "Feigned Immortality", I decided to parse out all of the elements of the work and write out the significance of each, what it means to me, and some of the background/history of the subject matter. Feigned Immortality opens on November 8th at the Sandzen Gallery in Lindsborg, Kansas. You can read more about the title and what led to the exhibition here. But the purpose of this post is to gather my thoughts on the work. Partly for you to read, but also for me to gain a better understanding of it myself.
SUMMARY OF ELEMENTS
Rectangles - Hold our experiences and memories, and are the foundation of civilization
Corners - Symbolize what remains in spite of time’s unavoidable erasure
4 - 40 drawings, 4 sided objects, 4 sided paper, 4 sided frames, gallery with 4 walls
Paper - The classic substrate of artistic investigation that is efficient to transport
Graphite - A foundational artists’ tool made from the building block of all life on earth
Light - The laser cuts permanent lines into paper, and allows for deft exploration
Skulls - The most enduring evidence of ephemeral human body and civilizations
Masks - Attempts at crafting visages as evidence of human existence
Helms - Evidence of the historical battle between permanence and impermanence.
Materials - Enduring, archival materials ensure that my work endures as well
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RECTANGLES IN MY WORK
Over the last couple of years, the bulk of my work has primarily consisted of carefully orchestrated arrangements of overlapping rectangles. The symbolism of this shape, for me, has evolved over time.
In the beginning rectangles represented decomposing architectural structures and aerial views of fallen cities. To me, these quintessentially represent the concept of impermanence. From the brief life of a human being, to the lifespan of the most entrenched empires, civilizations, humanity and our planet itself, everything rises, everything falls. All a blip on the timeline of the cosmos.
ENDURING CORNERS
As my paintings became more complex, I painted rectangles by the hundreds and washed them away one by one, often leaving only remnants of pigment in the corners.
These “enduring corners”, are influenced by the dust and debris that remains when a room is cleaned quickly, and by the perpendicular corners of architectural remains that exist long after the ceiling and walls have fallen. This remaining pigment in my work is symbolic of the bits and pieces of experiences, memories, trauma, etc. left in the corners of our minds, at the edges of our existence. No matter how long it’s been or how hard we try to forget, remnants always remain.
THE DOMINANCE OF RECTANGLES IN OUR LIVES
The rectangle is the dominant shape for rooms, paper, and screens because it offers the perfect balance of structural efficiency, production simplicity, and human visual preference. While nature loves circles and hexagons, human civilization is built on rectangles for several practical reasons.
1. Architectural and Room Efficiency
- Grid Alignment: Rectilinear shapes allow structures to be packed tightly together without wasting any space.
- Structural Stability: Rectangular walls meet at 90-degree angles, making it incredibly easy to calculate load-bearing distributions, align beams, and stack multiple stories.
- Maximized Volume: A rectangular room accommodates standard furniture (which is also rectangular) seamlessly, eliminating dead space or awkward, unusable corners that circular or triangular rooms create.
2. Paper Production and Standardization
- The "Golden" Ratios: Most paper sizes use specific mathematical ratios that optimize utility. For example, ISO international paper sizes (like A4) us2√ ratio. When you cut or fold an A4 sheet exactly in half, it produces two A5 sheets with the exact same proportions, resulting in zero paper waste during manufacturing.
- Cutting Mechanics: Straight lines are significantly faster, cleaner, and cheaper to cut from massive, continuous rolls of manufactured paper than circles or complex polygons.
- Ergonomics: Rectangular paper easily rolls up, binds neatly into books, and fits comfortably in the human hand for reading and flipping pages.
3. Screen Design and Human Vision
- Binocular Vision: Human eyes are placed side-by-side, giving us a horizontal, wide-angle field of view. A widescreen rectangular display matches the natural way our eyes perceive the world much better than a square or a circle would.
- The Golden Ratio (1∶1.618): Historically, artists and engineers favored rectangles that approximate this ratio because the human brain finds it highly aesthetic and easy to scan.
- Grid-Based Coding: Digital displays operate on a grid of pixels (rows and columns). Coding, rendering graphics, and mapping coordinate systems are computationally simpler on a rectangular grid.
Rectangles house our experiences, memories, and where we spend the bulk of our lives. Living in rooms, watching screens, reading from rectangular pages, driving rectangular vehicles from one rectangular building to another, to stare at more rectangular screens in rectangles, aka cubes, to hopefully some day work our way up to having a view out of a rectangular pane of glass with a view of more rectangles below.
For better or worse, the rectangle has defined our civilization.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NUMBER 4
- Order and Foundation: Represented visually as a square or a cross, the number 4 anchors things to the ground and creates a reliable, orderly framework.
- Nature and the Physical Universe: It frequently maps out physical reality—such as the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), the four seasons, and the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, water).
- Numerology: In numerology, 4 represents hard work, discipline, practicality, and the "builder" energy that turns abstract ideas into concrete reality.
- Cultural Variances: While many traditions view 4 as a symbol of balance and protection, it is considered unlucky in some East Asian cultures (like Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) because the spoken word for "four" sounds very similar to the word for "death".
- Stability and Structure: In numerology, 4 represents the "builder" energy, symbolizing hard work, discipline, and turning abstract ideas into tangible reality.
Spiritual and Religious significance
- Earthly and Universal Order: Across many traditions, 4 is linked to the physical universe—such as the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), the four seasons, and the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, water).
- Angel Number 4: Seeing 4 repeatedly is often interpreted as a sign from spirit guides or angels offering protection, encouragement, and a reminder to stay focused on building a solid foundation for your future
- The Bible: Four represents creation and completeness in the physical world, highlighted by the four rivers of Eden, the four corners of the earth, and the four Gospels of Jesus Christ.
- Hebrew Tradition: The number 4 corresponds to the Hebrew letter Dalet, which symbolizes a door and humility.
- Eastern Traditions: In Buddhism, the path is grounded in the Four Noble Truths
PAPER - CLASSIC SUBSTRATE FOR EXPLORATION
For this exhibition, the gallery is providing a selection of up to 50 frames to fill… the type of frames made to be wrapped around works on rectangular sheets of paper. See my fixation on rectangles, above :) Paper also tends to be a substrate of exploration, which this collection of work most definitely is. Paper is made from trees which connect to impermanence and subject matter in my prior work. Paper is much easier to proliferate, and also much easier to pack and cheaper to ship than canvases and panels. This meets a key logistical requirement of this show.
GRAPHITE - A BUILDING BLOCK OF ART AND LIFE
Contrary to popular knowledge, graphite is not lead. It’s carbon. Carbon is the fundamental building block for all known life on Earth.
Carbon is an example of permanence and impermanence coexisting in one element. In many ways, carbon is infinite. It moves through the Earth, air, oceans, and living things in a continuous loop called the carbon cycle. It’s impermanent because it’s always changing. It’s permanent, because the amount of carbon on the earth is fixed and never changes.
Graphite is a natural form of carbon with atoms arranged in a layered, hexagonal structure and is one of the purest forms of carbon available. Graphite is a foundational material for all artists throughout history and in all stages of their art practice.
LIGHT AS AN ARTISTIC TOOL
All of the line work ion these pieces is created with intense light in the form of a laser, which was used to burn all lines into the paper. Why a laser cutter? I wanted the lines to be permanent on the paper, so if I needed to make adjustments via erasing, they would remain constant. The impermanence of the graphite shading, juxtaposed against the permanence of the laser line work continues this theme through the process.
I also needed to be able to create this work on a timeline, and being able to design the visages in illustrator on the computer (No Ai involved) and send them directly to the laser cutter vs. transferring them via graphite, made this volume of work possible on this timeline.
EXPLORING REPRESENTATIONAL SUBJECT MATTER - SKULLS
It’s gotten harder and harder for me to give my work clear boundaries, aka, a tight box, when the rectangle is so pervasive, and so much an integral part of our lives. There’s so much territory to explore.
A primary question for me is where does this all go? Investigating this quadrangular style has been the primary focus of my work as of late. Initially my paintings were abstract, even non-objective. But I began to investigate objects that convey some aspect of impermanence vs. permanence. The first representational object I created was a skull. Once our short lives are lived, and our bodies turn to dust, often the one thing that remains is the skull.
Skulls last longer than most of the body and other bones because they have a high density of minerals and a thick, compact structure designed to protect the brain.
Why do skulls remain when the rest of our bodies are dust?
- High Mineral Density: The cranium contains tightly packed mineralized bone that resists physical impacts and slows down chemical breakdown by bacteria and acids compared to lighter limb bones.
- Protected Location: The skull is often insulated by heavy jaw structures, teeth, and thick cranial plates that take longer for scavengers and environmental weathering to dismantle.
- Low Organic Soft Tissue Content: While soft tissues and organs decay rapidly due to high water and nutrient content, dense bone matrix provides very little nourishment for microbes, delaying total decomposition.
- Compact and Cortical Bone: The outer and inner tables of the skull feature thick cortical bone (hard, dense outer layer) encasing a thin layer of spongy bone, creating a durable architectural shell.
Skulls are the most permanent part of a human, often being the things that show that civilizations actually existed. Skulls remain as evidence. A human skull can last anywhere from decades to thousands of years before it completely decomposes, depending heavily on the environment. But they too are not permanent, will decay, and turn to dust. They are the perfect example of a biological attempt at permanence.
Skulls are something artists draw extensively early in their education. Some might say they are cliche, but they are more a staple, or right of passage for artists. The skull felt a natural subject matter for this work, and have evolved more broadly to portraits, or “visages” representative of the tension between permanence and impermanence. The struggle for immortality, intentionally or inherently.
After exploring an initial series of skulls in my quadrangular style, I began to explore trees. The pines that grow around me in Central Oregon, primarily Ponderosa Pines, can live up to 600 years, though with the growing needs of the timber industry, and climate change driving forest fires, those lives are cut short, often literally as forests are clear cut or tens of thousands of acres burn.
I created a collection of paintings honoring these trees that I showed early this year in my “Rise & Fall” exhibition, and some at Art in the High Desert in August. These trees were constructed of rectangles created and degraded leaving ghosts of these giants depicted in various muted pigments on their tints depicting trees in a range of life stages in various corresponding lighting scenarios, like evening mist, dusk, golden hour, etc. See the available work from this collection here.
MASKS AS A VEHICLE OF IMMORTALITY
Throughout history, masks have been created by many different cultures to document their existence. African masks are among the most noteworthy. African masks are living historical and spiritual archives that embody the laws, values, ancestry, and social structures of the communities that created them. Wearers use masks during ceremonies to undergo a symbolic transformation, allowing a spirit, deity, or ancestor to temporarily inhabit and possess them. Masks appear during important life events like birth, coming-of-age initiation rituals, weddings, and funerals to mark transitions. Masks are sometimes used in healing ceremonies or protective rituals to ward off negative forces or misfortune and death.
Samurai crafted masks from iron, lacquered leather, or both. These masks shielded vulnerable facial areas, such as the nose, cheeks, chin, and neck arteries, against sword slashes, spear thrusts, and flying arrows. Many masks featured fierce, grotesque, or expressionistic designs modeled after demons (oni), gods, ghosts, or animals. This intended to unnerve opponents and obscure the wearer's actual facial expressions or signs of fear. The samurai mengu (facial armor) provided a profound psychological sense of immortality by stripping away the wearer's mortal vulnerability and transforming them into an unyielding, supernatural force. While its physical purpose was to deflect blades and secure the kabuto (helmet), its mental impact operated on a deeply symbolic and transformative level.
Often samurai would perish in these masks. The ultimate example of the effacing of a culture was when the Samurai class themselves were abolished by the Japanese government during the Meiji Restoration (starting in 1868) to modernize the nation, eliminate the feudal system, and build a centralized military. When they were no longer needed, they lost their status, exclusive right to wear swords and other benefits of their position in society. Armor, masks, and helmets as historical documentation and evidence of their existence.
Ancient Egyptian masks served as sacred tools for protection, soul recognition, and divine transformation in the afterlife and religious rituals. The mask helped the spirit's components (the ba and ka) recognize and return to the mummified body. Magical spells inscribed on the masks guarded the deceased from evil spirits and enemies like Set. Masks presented an eternal, flawless version of the deceased to the gods during judgment. Gold and silver used in royal masks, such as the famous mask of Tutankhamun, symbolized immortal flesh and union with the sun god.
THE HELM AS A VISAGE OF PROTECTION AND ETERNAL LIFE
The medieval helm completely enclosed the head, marking a major turning point in armor technology and combat survival. They served as vital military protection, markers of social status and heraldry, and milestones in metallurgy and armor craftsmanship. Even when the protection is foiled, and a warrior succumbs to his mortal wounds, his helm remains. Many helms rusted and decayed on the battlefield, and many others preserved in museums in memory of those who died for noble, and likely not-so-noble causes. Helms are the ultimate visualization of the human battle for permanence in a world of impermanence.
During the High and Late Middle Ages, a tradition emerged involving Funerary Helms (also known as Mortal Helms). When a prominent knight died, his battle helmet, family crest, shield, and gauntlets were carried in the funeral procession and permanently displayed in the parish church directly above his tomb. By leaving a piece of heavy steel architecture to withstand the elements, the family ensured the knight's honor, status, and memory would achieve a form of earthly immortality that outlasted their flesh.
ARCHIVAL MATERIALS THAT STRIVE FOR PERMANENCE
When choosing graphite as a medium, there was one more thing to consider. The work will be framed under glass or acrylic. Paint and ink often stick to these glazings. Gallery staff won’t be adding spacers to the frames as I normally would when I frame a piece. The artwork will be dropped directly into the frames and will rest directly against the glazing.
I could mat the pieces, but I generally do not like mats on my work. It’s mostly an aesthetic decision. but I also don’t like adding another unnecessary rectangle on top of my rectangles within the rectangular shape of the substrate. It’s distracting. And over my work, it can easily change the tone. So I stay away from mats. Graphite with a layer of fixative will not stick to the glazing.
One other note on impermanence… I quite like that the frames are owned by the gallery and will remain in their possession. When a drawing is sold, it will be removed from the frame, and go home with the collector who will select a new rectangle for it to live within.
My paper, foam core backing board, and all of my materials are acid-free, so they will be as permanent as possible.
COME SEE THE WORK IN PERSON
If you happen to be nearby, or live in Kansas, please check out this collection of drawings on view at the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery from November 8th to January 10th 2027 in Lindsborg, Kansas. Opening reception is Sunday afternoon, November 8, from 2 to 4 and will have artist's talks beginning at 2:30. I will be giving my talk remotely on video as I will be at Syracuse University in New York making artwork and speaking at their Visiting Artist Lecture Series.
Remaining work will be made available online in a timed drop the first of February 2027 at 8:00 am PST in the US. Stay tuned!!!