This small show, entitled “The Skeptic’s Guide to Becoming a Contemporary Mystic” was created in response to my graduate school research on UFO religions and contemporary mysticism. It is my hope that this small body of work does not seem out of place in the lineage of past artists, like Ionel Talzipan and Hilma af Klint, who were deeply engaged in western esotericism, occultism, and UFO-centered spirituality. The photos do not do a spectacular job of relating the sculptural qualities of the four main pieces which, at over ten feet tall, tower over and impose their presence on the viewer.
"Specialist Gilliland" Oil on panel, 2025. This sculptural self-portrait has the appearance of having slipped off the wall and slumped down to its rightful place on the floor. A visual metaphor for my time in the Army and my service in the Iraq War. As an idealistic young man, I thought that service to the army would make me a hero, but it made me something else entirely. To reflect the experience, I painted an aggrandizing self-portrait that just won’t quite stick to the wall. Unable to join the other glorious portraits of real American heroes, it lies dejected on the gallery floor.
"The King in Yellow" Oil and gold leaf on cardboard and trash.
This portrait of Brigadier General Felix Sparks is part of a series about embracing the absurdities of a complicated history over the certainties of comforting propaganda. Growing up inside of a family that took a skewed view of history and American exceptionalism as articles of faith would lead to an emotional reckoning later in life, after experiencing the realities of wartime service.
This portrait of Sergeant Josephine Scholz is part of a series about embracing the absurdities of a complicated history over the certainties of comforting propaganda. Growing up inside of a family that took a skewed view of history and American exceptionalism as articles of faith would lead to an emotional reckoning later in life, after experiencing the realities of wartime service.
This painting is a straightforward visual metaphor for my feelings of disenchantment that I experienced while serving in Iraq. I painted the piece on cardboard partly as a personal revolt against the practice of utilizing artworks as tax shelters, and partly because I wanted to see if the piece became more interesting as the substrate began to age and disintegrate. I’ll let you know how that goes in a couple more years.
This portrait of Major General Baird Markham is part of a series about embracing the absurdities of a complicated history over the certainties of comforting propaganda. Growing up inside of a family that took a skewed view of history and American exceptionalism as articles of faith would lead to an emotional reckoning later in life, after experiencing the realities of wartime service.
This portrait of Major General Robert Frederick is part of a series about embracing the absurdities of a complicated history over the certainties of comforting propaganda. Growing up inside of a family that took a skewed view of history and American exceptionalism as articles of faith would lead to an emotional reckoning later in life, after experiencing the realities of wartime service.
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Paintings 2026
