ARTIST STATEMENT

The paintings in my exhibition "Beyond Doors" represent my spiritual and cultural explorations after time spent in the Middle East. I am fascinated with the erosive nature that time imposes on people, places, and objects. Travelling extensively throughout what many call the cradle of civilization, I have seen firsthand how dissimilar we perceive ourselves to be. Yet through layers of division, I see a syncretic cohesiveness that is not always present at the surface. Creatively bridging this cultural gap fascinates me.

Each work of art that I create is a way for me to express the variables of our human condition. The marks I make in paintings, both figurative and non-figurative, can swing from a delicate and fluid place to being viscerally tactile in their nature. The approach and colors I choose can depend on the urgency of the message. Whether I am tackling the complexities of everyday life, spiritual narratives, or the emotional connection of my travels throughout the Middle East, I am compelled to visualize those emotions.

The French artist Jean Cocteau wrote, “I’ve always preferred mythology to history. History is a truth that becomes an illusion. Mythology is an illusion that becomes reality.” My expressionistic paintings layer and weave the alchemy of myth, coded language, and a yearning to go beyond doors and bring about new beginnings.

EADE

Kansas City Missouri, 2023