Title: Death
Artist: Chris Sheridan

Edition Size: Open

Description:

With Histories - magic - and trickery, I’ve continued to explore a few of the different themes that have cropped up in my work over the years. The connection between oral and written histories and our daily lives, the complex relationship between Life and Death, the personification of Death as the “working man” with tasks and desires, and in a new twist, the use of masks and multiple hands to depict the elements of trickery and deceit that are almost always present in human nature. In addition, hidden deep within all of these or perhaps the string connecting them all, a desire to find the soul.

This work draws inspiration from the mythology that shaped our early civilizations, the folklore passed down through the generations that served as lessons for children, as well my daily observances of these things thinly veiled by our modern perceptions of good and evil. Although I have relied heavily on Homer, Aesop, and the Grimm brothers the past couple of years, my focus has switched and references to imagery and themes from James Frazer's The Golden Bough have begun to appear.

Some of the work is focused on a single critical element, while other paintings are intricately laced with symbols and references, indicating that a greater story is at hand. I like to create paintings with imagery that generates discussion, but leaves enough room for the viewer to use their own imagination and develop a unique interpretation of the painting’s meaning. The story is yours to finish.