"It's not all about comics..."

While drawing super heroes and cartoons takes up a large (VERY large!) part of my art making, it's not always about the comics. This past spring quarter I took an art making class at OSU as I was finishing up my masters program. This class reignited some art making fires that I think had burnt out long ago.

This piece, titled "This is Not a Shoe" is a digital collage I produced using a variety of Converse All Star images I found through Google Image Search. I'm a big Chuck Taylor fan, and absolutely love wearing them. Even my ratty old black pair with a chunk missing out of the side and a hole in the canvas are still so comfy to wear. I just love 'em.

But there is more there than just a digital collage of shoes. These are NOT shoes. These are definitions of a generation...actually MANY generations. My mom talks about everyone wearing them before I was born. I remember my high top reds when I was in middle school, and I wasn't the only one wearing them. Now, I'm addicted to the shoe, and for me it has a lot to do with nostalgia (and I suppose maybe a little to do with my 'arsty' side). For my oldest daughter, almost thirteen, it's a status symbol because "Everyone's wearing Chucks, Dad!" she's often said. And for some, like myself, the shoe becomes more than something they wear on their feet, but a representation of their identity. An extension of who they are, based on what they wear.

When an object, or a symbol, or a clothing style last as long as the Chuck Taylor All Star's have, the object itself goes beyond being just the object. There's meaning and representation there. This work boldly states, "THIS IS NOT A SHOE", which prompts you...the viewer...to ask yourself what exactly it is. As I mentioned...the shoe is something different to each person. So...what is it for you?