That One

The original idea was to express the chaos of thought and the process behind any banal decision or act. Our decisions are influenced by the millions of units of information we take in every day. Each option commands attention, eventually resolving into a decision. I wanted the demonstration of a decision made to be painted in realistic style, the thought behind (out back) to be a graffiti scramble, a bombardment of image & word. I learned from speaking other languages that we always scramble, even rehearse, putting thought and desire into word and action. I thought of a banal task like buying a pack of cigarettes and backed it up with a heedful of icons, principles and emotions. The written strips at the beginning of the painting could represent formal learning, which filtered through the brain’s collective colourful storehouse, arrive at nothing more than the banal gray decision, yet the brainstorm of arriving there is a wonder to behold. The center graffiti section of the painting presented the most challenges. I had experimented with transferring photocopies to canvas and decided that some of the classic images of our culture were stronger as tencil graffiti, and some hand lettering added street crudeness. I tried my hand at a tag in the center of the painting and gained immense respect for this art form. The splatters of paint roughen the wall of thought and are like brain static. I wanted the painting to explore one of my pet themes – that of a moment stopped in time.