“OVERWHELMED”
Now available at Home Resource, Sarasota, Florida
The “Overwhelmed” limited series is a commentary on the ever increasing and oftentimes overwhelming nature of technology in the modern world. Each piece is designed to make a stand-alone statement on man’s increasing dependence on technological gadgetry and gizmos, while at the same time, the human component becomes a smaller piece of the larger picture. Careful observation of individual assemblages will reveal obvious visual jokes as well as hidden elements played across the vignette presented.
As an example of this, “Drowning Man” literally presents a small figure overwhelmed in an ocean of emails striving to hit the DELETE button while the six emails displayed at the top are a sequential correspondence between our “Drowning Man” and another individual as they discuss their plans for the construction of a "Time Machine" for personal enrichment.
It is that “push/pull” relationship between man and his technology that I hope to convey, sometimes cynically, sometimes, I hope, humorously.
always chasing the benjamins
15"h x 12"w x 3"d
Jimmy struggled to get on top of his electronic leash, and conquer its challenging demands. He knew in his heart that fame and fortune could be within his grasp with its' very next ring. John and Fred stopped and pondered the foolishness of such lofty pursuits. In the end, they'd all be worm food anyway.
a monkey on their backs (edition I sold, private collection north carolina) Edition II available.
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Pete and Alissa walked along, reminiscing about their lives together. They wondered how they could look so old. Was it the hard living, or was it the overwhelming nature of the Social Media Monkey that grew ever larger on their backs? Surely they should look better for only being thirty-eight!
outsourced (edition I sold, private collection, connecticut). edition II available.
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Bill thought to himself as he sat on the scaffolding; “The technology is really quite overwhelming, but at least I’ll always have a job spreading this green paint.” “I wonder what Mary packed for my lunch?”
WALLED OFF PARADISE
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Ken paused and reflected as he leaned on his shovel. He could hear his father's words echoing in his head; "Study hard and stay in school, earn your living with your brains, rather than with your brawn and back." Unfortunately he dropped out of school to pursue his dreams of being a puppeteer. When that didn’t work out, he got this job. Now he was tasked with installing the tech that hid the real world. He consoled himself that at least he wasn't responsible for the software engineering that now walled off most of the natural world. Such was life in what passed for reality.
DROWNING MAN (edition I Sold, private collection Canada). Edition II available
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Jerry struggled against the tidal wave of emails that was now his life. He thought about all he had sacrificed for this company. The late nights, the travel, his son’s missed ball games, romantic dinners with Lisa, and for what? Money? Power? Prestige? Hell! He had given up so much, he literally gave them the shirt off his back. What more could he do? Goddamn it, I’ve got to hit that DELETE button if it’s the last thing I do.
SPIN MACHINE
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Tim stood at the control keyboard, still upset at the jerk who had cut him off on his way into work this morning. He wondered to himself if Pete on the welding rig, and Nick, wrenching away at the base of the Spin Machine, had noticed that vandals sometime last night had labeled their efforts unfavorably. His wife’s words suddenly rang in his head; “Try and remember to pick up a gallon of milk on your way home tonight.”
SYSTEM OVERLOAD
13"h x 13"w x 3"d
It had snowed for six straight days trapping the Programing and Engineering departments on the factory floor. With nothing else to do but program and construct the main terminal interface unit, they worked night and day. Finally, when the roads cleared, they all went home to get some much needed sleep. Johnny wondered whether it was Alex or Seth that had left the Auto Code Generator in the “ON” position when they left. It didn’t matter in the end, as the endless code generation had completely overloaded the system. What did matter was what Johnny knew in his heart. He was in for a whole lot of overtime pay in cleaning up the mess left behind by the engineers and programmers.
bad Dog? Bits, Bytes & Totally Chewed Up (edition I Sold, private collection san francisco, CA). Edition II available
13"h x 13"w x 3"d
Fred knew it was a bad idea when Mary suggested he take the dog to work this morning. But it was Saturday and he was only stopping at the office to pick up his forgotten sunglasses. Using the restroom, he’d left the dog alone for five minutes…max. Monday would be a hell of a day when the boss discovered the full scope of Scrappy’s bad behavior. Apparently, he’d have to work on the “Down Stay” command a bit more. Realistically, it was quite likely he’d have more time on his hands to work on Scrap’s obedience skills. Maybe it was time to think about getting a smaller dog.
Short Circuited (edition I SOLD private COLLECTION, CALIFORNIA). Edition II available
8.75"h x 10 7/8"w x 2.5"d
Activity swirled all around Kip as he leaned back and observed Jimmy hammering away at the circuit board. It wasn’t easy being a supervisor tasked with auditing the Service Department, but somebody had to figure out ways to streamline the trouble-shooting protocols. The incessant racket thrown up by Mike’s jackhammer was definitely headache-inducing and might just be reason enough to offshore the entire process.
Tech Wave (edition I SOLD, PRIVATE COLLECTION, PALM BEACH, FLORIDA). Edition II available
12"h x 15"w x 3"d
Ted had been running as fast as he could to stay ahead of the tech wave. For many years he had managed to stay out in front of the rapidly advancing technology at the Luddite Furniture Manufacturing Company where he served as Chief Technology Officer. This morning, regrettably it was all too overwhelming and he’d be forced to retire earlier than he had planned. Nonetheless, if he could just reach the escape button in time, he’d be free. Free to retire and get a job as a “Greeter” at the local big box electronics store. Let someone else deal with the “Bits & Bytes,” all he’d have to do from now on was say, “Welcome to our store!” and “Have a nice day, come back and see us real soon!"
TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN
12"h x 12"w x 3"d
Jerry stared nervously at his watch and breathed a sigh of relief as the Way Back Machine arrived, proving that the concept was viable. Years of R&D, engineering, construction and endless rounds of funding had all come down to this moment, the payoff was in sight. When the Tom from the past transported himself from their first dinner meeting those many years ago to the present, the dream of time travel would now be a reality. The ability to change the course of history and manipulate a situation to reap untold riches was now a real possibility. Of course, he had bumped into an old friend from college that very morning and reconnected as if they hadn’t been apart for the last 35 years. He wondered, was time travel happening all the time, and we’re just too busy to notice.