Menace Painting

This painting is from a new series called TMTV (Too Much TV) - Modified Visions From the Tube started in 2019. I have always watched television (probably more than I should) since childhood in the ‘50’s and continuing today. Currently alive early in my 8th decade and still watching, at times I feel both guilty and engaged by what interests me while watching. Guilty because there is the criticism in our culture of it being a waste of valuable time, better spent on other things - yet engaging (especially now with the advent of hi-def flat screen technology) because of the visual, illuminated panoply of images that are constantly at our fingertips. So as I vegetate, in my overstuffed, upholstered, wide armed, living room chair, off to the left of my flatscreen, I started taking photos, with my phone, of images that peaked my interest. I find an endless stream of visual source material with an abundance of humor, pathos, sadness, danger, among many other human conditions presented in the programming and content available to be watched. I am using it to inspire my work. Once I choose a particular image, I then alter and/or add to it to create my paintings. I then decided to frame them in custom made wide format black frames to simulate the black of the TV screen. The painting is 18”x 24” while the overall framed size is 34”x 40”. I hope my time spent watching, gathering images and painting them results in time “well spent”. You be the judge.