The Cost of Oil
Both "the Cost of Oil", and "Inflation" are commentary on war and economy in relationship to our value of human life and the sacrifice that our American lifestyle demands. In 2007, I came across an article published by the New York Times titled "Faces of the Dead." This featured portraits of U.S. casualties of the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. The ongoing grid of faces had a haunting affect on me. Seven years later I came across the newspaper clipping again, and with our Troops still at war, I wanted to make a statement about the overwhelming realities about these wars and the impact of the history of war itself.
These monoprints were created using the screen printing process. Unlike other traditional methods of printmaking; this technique lends itself to a wider range of alternative mediums and a multitude of substrates. I am always looking for ways to keep things exciting by playing around with non-traditional materials. This can sometimes lead to much frustration, but is often extremely rewarding. I developed this technique of printing with motor oil after much experimentation. After coming up with the initial idea, I actually learned how to change the oil in my car. The viscosity of motor oil is very thin, the biggest challenge was to figure out how to keep the image from bleeding too much. It's really a matter of knowing the nature of your materials and knowing how to control them and when to let go.
- Title: The Cost of Oil
- Medium: Screen Print, Motor Oil, Ink on Panel and Canvas
- Dimensions: Panel 36x36", Canvas 27x39"
- Date: 2014
