• 2005 Ants on the Sidewalk painted as a performance @ on Queen St. West in Toronto2005 Ants on the Sidewalk painted as a performance @ on Queen St. West in Toronto
• 2005 color painted as a performance @ a Car Free Sunday in Kensington Toronto2005 color painted as a performance @ a Car Free Sunday in Kensington Toronto
• 2005 Eye Sun Smile painted as a performance on Queen St. West in Toronto2005 Eye Sun Smile painted as a performance on Queen St. West in Toronto
• 2005 Dancing connects us painted @ a Style in Progress Graffiti event in Toronto2005 Dancing connects us painted @ a Style in Progress Graffiti event in Toronto
• 2006 Look beyond the 9 to 5 painted on a wall close to Roncesvalles in Toronto2006 Look beyond the 9 to 5 painted on a wall close to Roncesvalles in Toronto
• 2007 Painted Dodalism Painted @ by the Thimble, Spadina and Richmond, Toronto2007 Painted Dodalism Painted @ by the Thimble, Spadina and Richmond, Toronto
• 2008 East European Trade Routes Painted as a performance @ the Toronto Board of Trade Dinner2008 East European Trade Routes Painted as a performance @ the Toronto Board of Trade Dinner
• Susan G Komen Women in Insurance Cancer Glala Acrylic, silver and gold pan on canvassSusan G Komen Women in Insurance Cancer Glala Acrylic, silver and gold pan on canvass

 

Artist Statement

Dodalism is a creative process which borrows from the stream of consciousness and Zen approaches to channeling creativity. The goal is to allow the artwork to evolve through the action of doing (i.e. drawing, painting, etc.)  This approach produces work that is rich in substance and sublime metaphor.

Dodalism (DU-da-lism) is a philosophy exemplified in three syllables:

Do – Do or do not, there is no try. (Zen koan) The meditation techniques, stories and poetry in the practice of Zen were a significant influence in the shaping of this creative process and attitude. It is within the action of doing that the core of Dodalism is found.

-da –  From a North American urban English meaning “the” (ex. Da Bomb). This concept came through my varied tastes in music. Music was an important tool, contributing to “The Infernal Machine” drawing meditation which like a mantra includes repetitive artistic movements. Music also served to intensify my artistic confidence and further delving into the unfamiliar creative process.

-lism – a softened “ism” which is an English suffix  whose usage signifies larger organized systems and concepts in belief, ideology, doctrine, and ritual practice.

Dodalism’s Painting

In Dodalism’s application to painting, my focus is on contemporary public painting performance. The use of brushes allows for greater scale and showmanship in construction of the images while the base philosophy frees up my creative process.

As of 2009 I began experimenting with creating highly textural surfaces loosely referencing abstract painting styles of Jackson Pollock and Gerhard Richter. The textures are built up with thick coats of gesso and acrylic paints which I later enhance with Dodalisms in brush or pen.

A second focus is on working with Plexiglas, specifically experimentation with multidimensional painting. The work ranges encompasses a wide range of Dodalisms painted with acrylic inks. Each additional layer of plexi is painted separately then sandwiched together in order to complete the composition. This leads to shadow casting subtly altering the painting’s two dimensional nature into a three dimensional presence. By separating each layers I am also gaining new insights in my optical mixing techniques where by overlapping colors in separate layers or washes the colors themselves appear richer.