ZERO-MAN: Maximalism Through Oil Painting. Introduction. Chapter 3.

SCIENCE

Science surrounds us all. For my work as a painter, the material science of oil painting will be explained here. The mediums I use in the picture, to disperse a thick oil over the canvas. The Science then translates into the painting subject matter on the surface. Science represents every aspect of the process in painting, the environment I’m painting it in, and the reaction my compositions receive in the community where I exist. According to a Bing search result, Science is defined as [The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment: “the world of science and technology.”] I would also add that the antonym for Science is Religion and, for Technology, it is Nature. From my teachings, one may only clearly understand a word or lesson by studying its opposite. This is critical to know that they are inherently linked. Where you cannot consider one without the other. Religion and Nature are as big a part of Science as space about its stars.

I want there to be no misunderstanding about the purpose of this book being about the subject of oil painting. Its use and application. That is exactly what this is all about. The philosophical aspects may seem to lead you astray at times but be assured that all these aspects are a part of my world as a painter. Just as they are all a part of my production. I cannot continue to create if I don’t know how or why I’m creating.

For example, when I first began painting, the subject of concrete and freeways were a particular part of my subject matter. In contrast to those images, which I utilized for the mid-grounds of my work, there was Nature in the form of a female human form. Nature, I placed in the foreground. This became my balance. These two subjects were a focal points of my work since the beginning. Because concrete defined technology or science. While the Woman represented Nature or Religion in contrast. To know what I wanted to paint as well as why again is crucial. It took me years to truly understand the magnitude of this imagery. Though I knew deep down that these two forces would always be at odds with each other. I could see them tearing at each other from the beginning. This was always fascinating to me.