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Every piece I make starts out as a scratch in the back of my mind, an idea that grows in intensity until it is made real through the creative act. Once complete, we are rid of each other and free to be without a mutually binding tether. This is embodied in a phrase I coined more than two decades ago: “I work to rid me of them. And them of me.” Since this mantra’s inception it has refined my drive and accompanied each artist’s statement.

While awaiting a scheduled surgical repair to my left biceps tendon, I was on the search for a way to continue creating during recovery. That is when this project came on to my radar. It started with a photograph taken by a friend, of one of the most beautiful cars ever created: a Ferrari 275 GTB. The moment I saw the image, I knew this would be the perfect project during recovery and rehabilitation.

The automobile hasn’t been the subject of one of my works in over 30 years and admittedly, this piece came together better than expected. The reflections on the Ferrari that the photograph captured were amplified by my painting style. Near the painting’s completion, someone pointed out that the piece has a “whimsical” quality. There is a playfulness in this piece, yes, but that simple connotation belies something deeper.

The painting appears to simultaneously exist in two realities. The most striking feature of the photograph is the sheer flatness of the reflection of the sky off the Ferrari’s hood. The blend I achieved is near perfect. There is little ambiguity, and it reads as sky reflected from a real surface. The becomes a representation of objectivity.

The second reality the painting represents is a neo-Fauvist, expression of the rest of the world around the Ferrari. Fauvism (les fauves: French for “wild beasts”) was an early 20th century art movement known for its bold, vibrant colors and fierce brush strokes. The trees reflected in the hood read as trees, but do not resemble the articulated branches of any known species. The reflected streetlight is merely a few brush strokes of brownish reds and yellows. Even the reflection of the far side headlight in the car’s hood loses its sense of reality when viewed in isolation. These elements become a representation of subjectivity.

Two experiences of the physical world are occupying the same surface. One moves toward an almost objective depiction, while the other moves toward the subjective experience. The tension between them is constantly asking the mind to prioritize; “Which is real?” It is this tension between the objective thing and the subjective experience that I term The Illusion Disparity. Once I saw this, I realized this is the nature of consciousness.

The stories we choose about our lives are built around belief; belief that if we work hard enough, try hard enough, achieve enough, that when we hit ‘the target’ we will arrive at the life we desire and deserve. Hitting that target is when we give ourselves permission to enjoy our life. That is our subjective attachment.

There are no guarantees. We can plan and execute all we want, but we are not owed anything. Some achieve their goals, many do not. Circumstances intervene and plans get derailed. Children get cancer. This is the brutality of objectivity. The only thing life owes anyone is an experience. There is something profoundly simple, yet remarkably difficult to grasp about this awareness. The enjoyment of our individual experience is already ours. This is agency. Agency isn't the belief that we can control what happens. It is the recognition that, within whatever is presents to us, we possess the ability to choose how we participate.

I was given the gift of creativity. It has always been my act of agency. Creating is my way of ‘raging against the dying of the light’, my middle finger to anything that would attempt to steal my focus. The best part of any gift is sharing it.

This painting was made during a period of upheaval and recovery.  It became the focal point for an exploration into light, perception, experience and connection. This painting is my deliberate choice to create something beautiful amidst uncertainty. That is ultimately where the painting lives. It isn't about the Ferrari. This painting is about the space between what is objectively occurring and how I chose to play that out. The fulfillment of our lives is not waiting for us in some other version of reality; it awaits our decision to claim it, NOW. This painting is a deliberate choice to take what was given and make something beautiful, something that could be shared and joyously exist beyond me. So, with that, I give you Lemonade. JK, LOL, the colors feel to me like a refreshingly cool glass of Lemonade tastes.                                      

EARLE ROCK STUDIOS  •  LEMONADE  •  2026