Confluence. Catharsis. Blue.

I painted this close to two years ago, just after Meghan and I moved into this place here in Central Square.  I've always felt this piece was heralding a new era for me.  You know that rush you get when you realize you may have god-like powers of creation?  Sometimes I get that feeling right after finishing a painting.  More often than not, the feeling fades.  Some pieces bring it back each time I see them though.  This is one of those for me. 

"Confluence. Catharsis. Blue." Jason Burrell 2009 Acrylic on Canvas. 8" x 8"

People often ask me what my work is about, and what I most often tell them is that essentially, there's a lot of insanity floating around in my head, which I want simply to channel elsewhere, which I do through the paint.  So the images you see are like fossil imprints- frozen moments of emotion.  This means that a lot of the time, there are a bunch of what to other people must likely seem like entirely unrelated elements going into any particular painting, so I usually let people interpret the work as they will. It's easier than trying to explain the  relationships between all the disconnected shit in my head.  I mean, that's why I paint, so I don't have to talk about these things.But I'm going to try anyway for this one, as best I can.

This painting is about having a sense of direction but no sense of control.  It's about synchronicity between living beings.  It's about the relationship between the moments just before and just after an orgasm.  It's about the power of hope and the hope of power.  It's about beginnings, inbetweenings and endings all unaware of one another yet forming a singular whole.  I love this fucking painting, and hang it in the hallway where I also hang my coat so I can look at it every day before I leave the house.