Earplugs , 2021

I began painting Earplugs at Leavesdon Studios in England in 1995, while filming GoldenEye. Leavesdon was originally owned by the Ministry of Defense and had been used during World War II for the manufacture of the Mosquito Fighter and the Halifax Bomber. We were the first film production to make a movie at Leavesdon. My dressing room had once been part of the executive suites. With large north facing windows, the room filled with winter’s light, it was a perfect art studio. However, it was bloody cold in January, hence I was often wearing a leather jacket. This would be my home for the next six months. When shooting action sequences, the prop master would hand out packets of earplugs, on the back was an illustration of “how to” put them in your ear. I found the infographic to be intriguing, amusing and engaging. I wanted to see if the composition would work as a painting. I had long admired Roy Lichtenstein’s ability to organize a graphic element into a painting and amplify the mundane into a bedazzling image. This became the inspiration for a 48 x 48 inch painting where I rendered my interpretation of the earplugs by hand. Then I embedded each segment of the graphic into quadrants of analogous yet subtly different colors. The color variation moves the eye from one quadrant to another, creating a visual storyboard, isolating each scene, yet tying them all together. I am excited to offer Earplugs as a limited edition run of 100 silkscreens. There has always been a philanthropic component to my art practice. Thus, I have decided to donate a portion of the sales of Earplugs to “A Sense of Home” to help aid in creating homes for youth who have aged out of foster care. My heartfelt thanks to Kevin Giffen and Daniel Wlazlak at Wranch Studios & Da-Ta Studio, to all at Rusha&Co, and to my darling wife Keely who is a part of all my days. January 2021, Kauai Produced by Kevin Giffen & Daniel Wlazlak (Wranch Studios & Da-Ta Studio)