Ghost. 6/15/2015

Ghost.
60x54″
mixed media on canvas.

Our entire lives are built upon repeatedly facing uncertain circumstances and, hopefully, learning from those experiences to better prepare for the next. And despite the fact that we all have and will face countless unfamiliar situations, each brings its own anxious and troubling presence to our lives until we see the situation through. Like knowingly entering a haunted house and still screaming when a ghost jumps out from behind the creaking door, we can ultimately only prepare and control our reactions to limited degree.

Ghost is about that moment of panic...that brief instance of terror when you realize, if even for a split second and even if you've prepared, that you don't completely recognize your surroundings...that you are faced with something you don't understand. Whether gone a second later or lingering for weeks, our vulnerability is laid bare each time we encounter the unfamiliar.

Ghost is currently availalbe through Kobalt Gallery in Provincetown, MA.

Join the conversation over on Facebook and Instagram

Check out more of Daniel's work at the links below or send him an email with questions or inquiries.
http://www.dflemingart.com/
http://danielflemingart.tumblr.com/archive

Look Elsewhere, Orlando. 6/11/2014

Look Elsewhere, Orlando.
36x44"
Acrylic on canvas.

Inspired by the sudden and somewhat mysterious death of a friend, Look Elsewhere, Orlando is a portrait of those lost addressing or confronting that from which they are attempting to overcome.

The title speaks to the attempt to escape that issue through a change of location, ultimately realizing that the issue, not the place, is the problem. Symbolized by the Lion, the subject gazes backward, finding the "issue" driving them forward. In a state of shock, the subject realizes that "issue" continuing to follow, despite them having turned their back before. This is not meant to display someone running away...to show a weak or strong character...but to acknowledge the constant presence of our vices, despite our best efforts.

Rather than laying blame, showing anger, hoping to change the future or denying the current state, the piece memorializes a vision of the person lost simply living alongside that which drove them, for better or worse.

L.E.O. is not a piece celebrating life, damning vices nor glossing over reality, it simply shows the state of things.

El Dorado. 2/7/2016

El Dorado.44x54"
Mixed media on canvas.

Despite more technology at our fingertips, more information at our disposal, more options for what to do with our future, and more ability to move from place to place than every before in the history of humanity, many find ourselves yearning daily for what is just beyond our reach. We seem to have every possible avenue for happiness, yet we continue to search for something beyond.

El Dorado takes inspiration from the age-old tale of the search for the lost golden city as a metaphor for our constant desire for what's next. Conquistadors came, conquered, and destroyed civilizations, yet, for centuries, they continued to arrive simply wanting more but often leaving in worse shape (or not at all). After obtaining virtually everything, they found only an insatiable desire for more.

El Dorado is not arguing that you should not seek to improve ones circumstance...it is not saying that you should be content where you are. It is arguing that if you are to move onto the next thing, that that new thing be worthwhile and not simply done out of restlessness.

Many continuously think "better" is just somewhere that they are not...and that's the crux of the issue. When change is simply an avenue to encounter something "better", that avenue must continue as those new places become familiar and, yet again, boring. If change is an avenue to improving the self, the change itself ceases to be the goal and a destination can be found.

Wren Boys. 2/24/2016

Wren Boys.
40x30″
mixed media on canvas.

Wren Boys is inspired by the many traditions and practices of “Wren Day” and, more generally, the somewhat contradictory methods of remembrance we’ve come to treasure. 

Celebrated in a number of cultures around the world, Wren Day is largely meant as a symbol of rebirth and the coming renewal of spring. To symbolize the renewal, a group kills and present a wren as an offering, hoping to bring luck, life, and a good new year. 

Interestingly, the wren is seen as a positive symbol in most traditions and is considered an animal of nobility, cooperation, innovation, and progress. Somewhat ironically, celtic traditions even consider the bird as a reminder to be kind to others because of its caring nature. Despite this and the honor often bestowed upon the bird, its namesake day revolves around their ritual stoning and eventual killing.

In a more general and modern sense, we as humans ignore much of the life around us, only “honoring” that which has been driven from existence. A certain bird in your backyard may be a nuisance until it makes an appearance on the endangered list, then, instead of scarecrows you’re setting up bird feeders. Even an animal with cultural and symbolic attachments becomes a more important icon when dead in many instances. 

Do we, through our traditions and memorials, actually remember and honor those that have been lost or are we simply hoping the life that we value so much for ourselves doesn’t leave us as well?

Join the conversation over on Facebook and Instagram

Check out more of Daniel's work at the links below or send him an email with questions or inquiries.
http://www.dflemingart.com/

http://danielflemingart.tumblr.com/archive