Mined Sites is a series of paintings inspired by mining landscapes; the desolate places occupied by humans, yet devoid of human presence when viewed at a distance. With this work I attempt to depict the signs of human life, rather than the humans themselves. Simple architectural elements arranged in complex configurations stand in as traces of human settlement or occupation.

During the painting process I single out buildings and personify, or add a bio-morphic quality to these structures. Some of the resultant constructions appear to take on human form, reaching out with arm-like appendages, while others display material qualities akin to human organs or skin-like surfaces that yield under internal pressures or pulses. By ascribing human characteristics to these built forms, my aim is to have the architectural elements stand in for and inform the viewer about human experience.

 

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Tethered, 2000, oil on canvas, 60″x52″

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Standing Conveyor II, 2000, oil on canvas, 48″x42″ (private collection)

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Holding Tanks II, 2000, oil on canvas, 48″x42″

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Effluent II, 2000, oil on canvas, 60″x52″

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Cell II, 2000, oil on canvas, 60″x52″