Method

When I paint in this style I try not to preconceive what the final image will be. Painting, structure and balance are my primary concerns. Many changes occur and the painting develops progressively through many layers of brushstrokes that create movement. My paintings technique is powered by my subconscious concerns that deliver unique and significant results.

Understanding the Symbolism

Our universe is composed of ovals and circles. In contrast, man creates our enviroments with rectangles. I symbolize man's created world with angles and shapes

My use of geometric shapes as symbolism began in 1980's. The Deluge was the first painting to include planes of pigment that represented our earthly world. In Cubed Wave, the representaton of a spiritual light in the form of a white square beckons through a milieu of darkness. For many years, I placed the rectangles parrallel to the picture plane to emphasis the right angle dimensions.

A single white geomteric shapes also symbolizes a heavenly creator - who's vastness is only partially revealed. Consequently, the paintings evoke a heavenly essence. Over the years, these rectangles have rotated  their positions counter clockwise, emerging from the top of the canvas, pointing downwards with part of the white rectangle revealed. This part or corner of the rectangle resembles an inverted triangle. The vertical placement creates momentum and pressure within the picture. This movement is apparent in later paintings like Origin and Conversion among others. The Draw of Man and Contemplation encorporate this motif with pastel colors. This progression began in 2000 and continuued thorough 2010.

With all this said, the symbolism, is apt to the observer. Often, the veiwers' perception is insightful, and by their verbal description, I continue to learn about my art.

Dennis McGeary