A Universe. Outsider, primitive surrealistic, modern, contemporary, and conceptual are imperfect labels that I sometimes use to describe, communicate and frame my work. But labels are irrelevant to the creative process of making a work.

 

My body of work is not inspired by styles. Style comes after I have decide to paint a particular portrait of a person or idea.  My portrait of the idea of A Universe didn't begin as such. It started as geometric circles and washes of watercolor. But then ink began to transform it into a portrait of an idea of A Universe. This painting was the obvious choice for the cover for my 2009 book A Critique of Pure Physics. (This book is speculative (as in wrong); but it contains some worthy ideas. Ditto my paper A Toy Universe; for which I plan a different painting.)

 

The point is that each my painting is like writing poetry.  This one went quickly (an hour or two); others slow (up to two months).  But either way IT was not done until IT was done.

 

Always I use whatever genres, styles, techniques and skills that seem appropriate to the process of art. So, even when I don't have the skill, I must learn enough of whatever is necessary. (Hence the range of my styles, genres and keeps expanding by doing what must be done. 

 

Appropriate sounds too deliberative; though there is much deliberation before, during, and after my art process. But what I speak of, is not a conscious an unconscious appropriateness. Unconscious appropriateness and necessity is of the moment of doing upon the materials with tools and paint or found objects or whatever.

 

Thus finally, in the moment of painting, all of my preliminary ideas and deliberations are thrown out.  Each work of my Art takes a life of its own; and IT will not be done until IT tells me that IT is done. In this sense, I rely upon an inner daemon (much more than a critic) to say IT is finished. And then, however often I approach it; I dare not add one more dab of paint.