4 Days in August

"4 Days In August" is a set of four paintings based on my brother's childhood summer journal in 1979. During that summer my brother was 11 years old and I was 7. He showed me the journal recently and I decided to incorporate his text into my paintings. My family has summered in Northport, Maine since 1972.

To see the full set please visit  http://www.joshuaferry.com/newseries.html

The paintings are each 30x30 inches, Oil on canvas, 2013

Shown at Perimeter Gallery, Belfast, Maine

Cross Drawings

each 12x9 inches, charcoal and fixative on paper

Singular Cross Paintings

each 20X16 inches, burnished acrylic on canvas

During 2011 and 2012, I developed a series of paintings and drawings that were each based on a singular cross.  The result was 14 paintings and 6 drawings. 

I align this work more with a Malevich cross than a Christian one but I don’t mind references to icons and the Stations of the Cross.  The cruciforms in these paintings function primarily as visual centering devices that rely on color to convey light and emotion. While creating this series I carefully considered the way each painting related to the other paintings in the group.

Another inspiration for this series is a quote that resonates with me by Katherine Bradford who said, “I like to think of works of art as having the same drawing power as the lighted hearth in the kitchen or the lone cross in the corner of a monk’s cell.”  

Aucocisco Gallery, Portland, Maine

During 2010 and 2011, I made paintings consisting of multiple crosses.  This work was inspired by patchwork quilts, altar cloths and ceramic tiles.  

Casket

The concept for "Casket" originated in 2004. During this time, the casket of former president Ronald Reagan was being paraded around the United States while the Bush administration was banning the photos of caskets returning from Iraq. I found this ironic.

Visually, I was drawn to the stark contrast that was set up between the American flag and its often dark environment. During the painting process, I decided to exclude the blue, star-studded rectangle from the flag and specific details from the surrounding space in order to establish a heightened sense of mystery for the viewer. I also wanted the viewer to be uncertain whether the casket contained the body of a fallen American soldier or a former President. These elements of mystery are what animate the painting.

Casket. 2004  Oil, Acrylic, Alkyd Resin and Wax on Canvas.  50 X 42 inches.

Shown at Portland Museum of Art, Maine.  Private collection.

I Will Follow

This painting started as a list of words such as; walk, skip, jump, trip, stumble, etc... Words relating to basic body movements. Then I started erasing the words with blocks of color- ultimately becoming interested in the stack of colors. Seeming too rigid, I painted over a few of them free-hand.

I Will Follow. 2007 Acrylic on Canvas. 44 X 26 inches.

Shown at Center for Maine Contemporary Art and Coleman Burke Gallery, NYC

http://www.colemanburke.com/newyork/chunkymonkey.html

Delegates

In 2005, I decided to make a painting of the Maine state flag after seeing an exhibit at the Maine State Museum that showcased old Maine flags from past wars. I was imagining what it would be like if my home state of Maine was a modern day war zone like Iraq or Afghanistan. Then I saw a file photo of the role call list of Maine state legislatures on the local news and decided to list the names of Maine artists that had influenced me during my formative years over the flag.  The numbers signify important dates in my life; 71 birth, 87 moved to Maine from New Hampshire, 92 committed myself to painting, 97 left Maine for New Jersey, 05 is the date of the painting.

Shown at Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

Delegates 2005, Oil, Acrylic, Alkyd Resin and Wax on Canvas, 60 X 36 inches.

Pros and Cons

Pros and Cons, 2007 is 16 X 20 inches.  This painting started as a grey grid.  Then, I painted color crosses into each square.  I was thinking about altar cloths, quilts, and religious banners.  Later, I thought of the crosses as plus signs and responded by painting minus signs over them.

Shown at Center for Maine Contemporary Art.

Private collection