SPLART!: Digitally Painted Self Portraits &
Journal Entries by an artist living with AIDS
In A Time Of Pandemic (volume 1)
Living with AIDs for 20 years, I was used to being a germaphobe; but, I’ve managed to live with my fears and keep them in check. When Covid hit, I was absolutely terrified. We were about two weeks into the “safer-at-home” (lock down). I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t work on my current Circlism. I’ve been working on Circlisms since 1985. Circlism is a style of art that requires a zen-like state of mind to focus on drawing tiny circles. I couldn’t do it. Two weeks without any artistic release for my OCD. I thought I was going to burst.
I had just retired my teaching practice. I taught Digital Imagery for 15 years but never thought to use it for my personal artistic expression -Circlism was (is) my Art.
But I couldn’t do my Circlism. So, I decided to create a digital painting, a digitally painted self portrait – something fast and expressive to exercise the demons.
Making it was a great release and I had fun making it. I posted it to Facebook and got some positive feedback. And, that’s how it started. I found it. A daily release of tension and anxiety through creative expression. The world had gone mad with Covid but, I was gonna be alright. I kept a journal throughout to explain the thoughts and emotions that went into each of my self portraits. And, also report on what was happening in the news.
This series is in three volumes and contains 1123 self portraits in all, each with a journal entry.
This is volume 1.
Here is SPLART!
The kind of art that’s produced out of angst like puss that’s squeezed from a pimple.
SPLART!
Now, doesn’t that feel better?
About the Author
1964 b. Fall River, MA
1983 – 1985 United States Army (tank driver)
1985 Moved to Los Angeles.
Discovered and began life-long exploration of Circlism
1990 BFA Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design
1990-92 Third Grade Teacher -Stancliff Elementary (private school in South Pasadena)
1993-94 Substitute teacher Glendale Unified School District
1995-05 Substitute teacher Los Angeles Unified School District
2005 CA Teaching Credential granted in Art
2005 Received a quarter of a million dollar grant to design, build and implement a computer animation class/lab.
2020 Retired Teaching Practice
2020 Began work on his great eBook: SPLART! (Daily Digitally Painted Self Portraits With Journal Entries by an artist living with AID’s In A Time Of Pandemic)
2023 Published first volume of SPLART! on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing
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