The Vessels series explores the act of emptying oneself to allow something greater to emerge. A series of paintings created and cut in front of an audience to obscure the self and reveal a gold-gilded altarpiece.
My practice is centered around portraiture that explores the intersection of humility and holiness. It is a response to writings like St. John’s that remind us that “we are not the Light, but we are witnesses to the light.” The portraits embody and act of sacrifice through the grueling process of constructing the canvas frames, hinging the measured icon windows, and laying gold using an ancient water-gilding technique.
These pieces are also a record of performance in public spaces. After the final strokes, the portrait is slowly and painstakingly cut down the middle using a handsaw or knife, and opened. The shapes of the openings reference sacred icons and altarpieces. In the culmination of the performance I step back to reveal a portrait obscured by the gold gilded interior.
Onlookers initially wondered, “Why ruin it? Is this what we’re called to do? Cut ourselves open?” One woman, after a performance in Altea, Spain asked, “Why sacrifice if it’s painful?” Her answer was found in the newly exposed and gleaming gold surface.
After entering into marriage in year two of this project, I felt such an intertwining of identity with my spouse that I couldn’t help but bring her into the self-portraits. The humble sacrifice now involved two people in relationship. It became communal.