McGriffin Studios

You might ask why "Art inspired by reverence?” Why the floating heads? Why landscapes? As a collector, or simply a viewer, you deserve some hardcore clues from me, without being self-indulgent, and then you are on your own to develop your own story.
 

As an artist, I must always look at my art in terms of the collector who is subconsciously thinking “What’s in it for me?” A work of art can be many things: an investment, a spiritual connection, or merely something to enhance the look of a living space. Whatever the reason an original work of art is a connection to another’s soul, be it the artist’s, or the person who wants to live with it. I will always tell anyone looking at art that what you see, or don’t see, will tell you more about yourself than the artist who created it.
 

Landscapes: Saying that I am inspired by landscapes is lame. Who isn’t awestruck by a serene, colorful lay of land? What I see is what makes my landscapes different from another artist; not better, just different. When my eyes caress our earth I see labor, bounty, loss, success, love, pride, hope, and faith. I see a farmer pushing a little seed, with all the memory needed to create a plant or a tree, into the ground. From my front windows I see White River bottom land that at one time was a fertile home for our original, Native American dwellers who had their land stolen from them by our government. The earth entombs every living thing that ever inhabited what we call our home, from millions of years ago to yesterday. It has provided us with a history that can be changed forever at this moment with the turn of a shovel, a new discovery that forever changes our perception of who we are as humans.
 

Floating heads: I was raised as an only child on a farm in a remote area of southwestern Indiana. It was a magical land that helped me create a fantasy world for my rather isolated existence. Our farm was surrounded by old coal strip mining hills that created a labyrinth of copper, green, and blue water pits and pine covered hills dotted with an occasional arrowhead uncovered by rains. One day, around age 11, while on a “safari” in this beautiful space I sat on the ground and leaned against a tree. I realized that the way I was sitting excluded my physical body from my vision. My head was held high, my back was firmly planted against the tree, and my legs were folded yoga-style. In this position, I felt like two eyes floating and observing. I did not feel real. I had become a floating entity in a spirit world of the people who had gone before me.  This quickly became a practice that I loved to do whenever possible. As a result of this experience, the fire of spirits now dissolved into nature have a floating presence in my work.
 

I might also add here that my nearby grandparent’s farm house had a fantastic attic filled with relics of deceased relatives. One of my favorite things to do was go through the boxes filled with locks of hair, photos, musical instruments, toys, and clothes that my ancestors had touched. I could feel their presence floating around me. So my childhood was filled with wonder, awe, love, and respect for these people that I would never know, yet had a hand in who I am. Their life experience flowed in my blood, and I had lived in them before I was born. A few years back I read a Latin saying that pretty much summed it up for me:
Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt? 
Where are those who went before us?...a meditation on the transience of life.

Art inspired by reverence: All the animals, people, and geologic events before us made this life possible. I try never to forget this. It gives my life meaning and substance, because what I do will affect the future. In some ways it all seems invisible and my search for the unseen is what makes me paint. It’s about the invisible gifts handed to us each day: time, the fruits of wisdom, and mystery. My personal view also includes The Great Spirit's mighty hand in all of this, and the randomness of life that makes it all fair in the end. It was his only way of not playing favorites.
 

So here is a partial glimpse into why my work has followed the road of landscapes, floating heads, and an unfathomable, fierce attachment to reverence.