You may or may not know this...I was a painter long before I knew what the word "assemblage" meant. It is what I studied in art school and ultimately it is what I truly love about what I currently do. Oh sure, the sculptural aspect is fun...but, as far as I'm concerned, the paint is where the magic begins. The building of a piece it what I consider the pragmatic phase. I have to understand things like glue, construction, gravity,...worldly things. When I pull the paint brushes out, however, something mystical and transformative takes place. When the painting is going well, the experience is sublime, however, when it is problematic...each paint stroke fights off metaphoric demons.
Because of this strange dichotomy in my creative process, I thought you might find it interesting to see some before and after shots of my works through the years.
I should mention that I know many excellent assemblage artists out there who never use a drop of the paint on their pieces. Let me just say...you gotta do what you gotta do. My work is sculptural...however I consider myself a painter, first and foremost. If I didn't use paint...it wouldn't feel like i was making art.