KIEFERART FINE ART UP CLOSE

"Incident"
Oil on canvas, 12" x 16"

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Occasionally I wake up with strong images in my mind, remnants from intensely realistic dreams. Some of those images become paintings if for no other reason than to release them from my head. The airwaves had been thick with post 911 advice on how to protect ourselves from a terrorist attack. We were being told to duct tape plastic over our windows to keep poison gas from seeping in. I remember thinking how ridiculous that was, but somehow the fear of it all crept into my lower brain and stayed there until I translated that feeling into this painting. After having created this image as a conscious effort to rid myself of the paranoia, there was no question that the intensity of the feeling had left. It was a reminder of how powerful and cathartic the act of making art can be.

Technically this was a stretch for me in many ways. I like to include a graphic or geometric element in my paintings. Most often those elements take the form of a window or a building behind a figure; anything that offers variety and contrast to the soft lines of my figures. Here the graphic is front and center, dominant in the painting, serving as a thematic symbol for the piece. This painting received a lot of positive peer response. When you stick your neck out as an artist, it's especially encouraging to be validated for it.