Momentary  

 

83 1/2 x 33 inches,  212 x 84 cm

oil and acrylic on canvas

2010-2011

This work is an ambitious attempt to show how we can see the passage of a vast stretch of time as a single visual moment.  Delicately painted shapes in each of three divided dark sections of the canvas can be seen as the movement of the Earth’s land masses relative to each other over the last 250 million years. We see the progression, according to the theory of plate tectonics, from left to right,  moving from the supercontinent Pangaea to the present world. The drips of paint, emphasized by their own vivid colors, decrease the impression and meaning of the maps' dark colors, while the action of dripping suggests a brief moment against the portrayal of a long history. This is like the effect of a water drop on the surface of water which has a reflection of remembered images.