In the same vain as my recent paintings; the Cartoon series looks to use pictorial narrative to ‘characterize’ the conflict between figuration and abstraction.
Playing between figuration and abstraction the paintings become more than a singular style and instead can be seen as inventions and variables in an attempt to open up the dynamics of a singular.
The ‘pictorial narrative’ in this series is the boyhood battle between Popeye and Bluto over Olive. This age old battle for love between enemies is seen through history and talks of conflict, victory, good vs evil and violence. At the same time this narrative brings through sentiments of naivety - through its cartoon illustrations and personal history as a program from our youth.
Popeye and Bluto repeatedly flight for Olive’s affection in numerous episodes and series. This perpetual inevitability reflects the historical conflict within painting between abstraction and narration, since the turn of the 19th century their inevitable confrontation is what makes painting dynamic.
The Popeye series are formed through painted layers and geometric formations that talk of structure and depth that interweave with the cartoon stills creating an image of elements, which jostle for attention. Much like the unresolved themes in Popeye they too lie in the production of the painting.
