My current work stems from my need for a new jumping-off point. Years ago, some of my first work was based on abstract figurative groupings of three. Over time I played with pairings of one or two... up to five, culminating in my series ON DEMENTIA, a series of ten large canvases, based on my personal experiences, which focused on the all too real feelings of those afflicted with this horrible disease.
Taking a deep breath and looking to shift gears, I have returned to my "root" of three... only to find, rather by accident, that I like these pieces best when displayed as a grid. And that, folks, is where I am at.
ON DEMENTIA: ELE-MENTAL CHANGES
This series of ten canvases is a result of my current work with older adults with dementia. My focus is on the individual: the fear, the confusion, the isolation and often the resulting anger... leading back to the isolation. The slow disintegration of everything that makes oneself... slipping away... the individual becoming elemental. The need for understanding, compassion and individual-centered care.
To treat with dignity, bring moments of peace, and share a little warmth and love. This is an epidemic of tidal wave proportions that we as a society are only beginning to address.
OLDER WORK
Scrolling back, there is a sampling of older work, a series called: The Face Paintings: A Creative Study In Portraiture. I think these are fun.
And back, back, way back, The Souls: Isolated And Integrated. This is where my study of the individual's place in modern society began. At the time, it was prefaced with "The Contemporary Myth of Self"which follows. Still Relevant.
THE CONTEMPORARY MYTH OF SELF.
My art examines the psychological isolation of the individual in an increasingly technological world; our seemingly unlimited and ever-increasing ability to act, react, and interact on a global basis from our contemporary citadels while unable to escape the consequences of our communal actions and fundamental (elemental) ties to our very makeup and environment. Never before so connected; never so alone. My art discusses THE CONTEMPORARY MYTH OF SELF. My monolithic icons live where earth meets sky, man meets earth, mind meets matter, religion meets science, and present as shaped by past meets future.
In our heads.
On my canvas.
Prose In Paint.
Rhyme In Pigment.
THE REAL ME
JUVENAL REIS STUDIOS, LONG ISLAND CITY
JUVENAL REIS STUDIOS ON DRUGS
More Work... Click on "OLDER POSTS" at the bottom of this page