The Beginning
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
I am a traditionalist artist from Northern New Jersey. I served in the United States Navy as a helicopter mechanic and survived something that many would not have. I fell 20ft from a helicopter while performing routine maintenance, on April 12th, 2013. On that day, I lost my old self and woke up a completely different person, one I could not stand to even look at in the mirror, and that was just the beginning.
To portray the horrific journey, I had to go through, I chose to paint the images of my memory in a very disturbingly surrealist way. I wanted the viewer to try and understand the hell I was put through. H.R. Giger was a major influence in trying to get that surrealist sickening image across to the viewer. Throughout the process of painting these memories and images, I was very open about my mental health and making sure to communicate with professionals. The series “Unwanted Events,” ended up being very therapeutic and releasing many emotions I did not know I was still holding on to. It also brought a sense of relief because many people were starting to understand more about what had happened.
“The Beginning” - Imagine waking up to this. I woke up lying on the flight line confused, in extreme pain, and was unable to move anything. This was the beginning of a horrific journey I literally fell into.
“Tunnel of Rage” - Days after my accident, I sat staring out my barracks window for hours. I was bubblingly with rage and felt like I was slipping down a tunnel. I was slowly losing myself and did not recognize the new person I was forced to become. I hated her with a passion.
“Force Fed” - I was on nineteen different medications within the first year after my accident. Between the traumatic brain injury, post traumatic migraines, inflammation, chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, I was a mess. The doctors just kept throwing medications at me in hopes that something would fix me.
“Rock Bottom” - Some doctors still tried to figure out what was going on with me, while others gave up. I had completely lost myself and all color was drained from my world. All my artistic ability was sucked out of me. I wanted it to be over. I was done.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Elliott Jones and Alison Stinely
College Affiliation
College of Arts & Letters
Presentation Type
Artwork
Disciplines
Painting
Session Title
Art #3
Location
Zoom Room DD
Start Date
3-20-2021 2:00 PM
End Date
3-20-2021 2:55 PM
Upload File
wf_yes
The Beginning
Zoom Room DD
I am a traditionalist artist from Northern New Jersey. I served in the United States Navy as a helicopter mechanic and survived something that many would not have. I fell 20ft from a helicopter while performing routine maintenance, on April 12th, 2013. On that day, I lost my old self and woke up a completely different person, one I could not stand to even look at in the mirror, and that was just the beginning.
To portray the horrific journey, I had to go through, I chose to paint the images of my memory in a very disturbingly surrealist way. I wanted the viewer to try and understand the hell I was put through. H.R. Giger was a major influence in trying to get that surrealist sickening image across to the viewer. Throughout the process of painting these memories and images, I was very open about my mental health and making sure to communicate with professionals. The series “Unwanted Events,” ended up being very therapeutic and releasing many emotions I did not know I was still holding on to. It also brought a sense of relief because many people were starting to understand more about what had happened.
“The Beginning” - Imagine waking up to this. I woke up lying on the flight line confused, in extreme pain, and was unable to move anything. This was the beginning of a horrific journey I literally fell into.
“Tunnel of Rage” - Days after my accident, I sat staring out my barracks window for hours. I was bubblingly with rage and felt like I was slipping down a tunnel. I was slowly losing myself and did not recognize the new person I was forced to become. I hated her with a passion.
“Force Fed” - I was on nineteen different medications within the first year after my accident. Between the traumatic brain injury, post traumatic migraines, inflammation, chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, I was a mess. The doctors just kept throwing medications at me in hopes that something would fix me.
“Rock Bottom” - Some doctors still tried to figure out what was going on with me, while others gave up. I had completely lost myself and all color was drained from my world. All my artistic ability was sucked out of me. I wanted it to be over. I was done.
Comments
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