OPi8.com :: Vision

What do you see? Looking at the newly crowned beauty queen, or a grassy field full of wild flowers. While one person sees "a perfect example of femininity" another may see a woman's last attempt to be someone "special", before she slits her wrists. While one sees the sun setting behind an aged oak tree, another bears witness to the slave that was hung from its branches for trying to escape. The point is; both realities are valid, and both exist for the person experiencing them.

In similar fashion, one artist may be compelled to paint the Mona Lisa, while another finds their passion in illustrating the horrors of Dante's Inferno. While most people will find one more aesthetically pleasing than the other, there is a need for both.

My own desire to create started with pin ups and erotic art. The human body, especially that of the female form, is intoxicating. As I started to get very serious about the art I was creating, the focus began to evolve. Through the journey my life has been, I have witnessed the filth, the dark undercurrent that lies beneath. Outside the scope of most people's reality, stalks the predators. Just beyond the next door, there's a victim in need - or about to be created. Even in the most beautiful things, the eventual decay already exists. Beneath all the prettiness there is a layer of filth. In everything we see, the decay is already present - which is in itself beautiful, if you can keep it from smothering you.