"You Not Crazy, You're Just Fucked Up!"

Artist Statement

            A psychologist once told me this while he was doing my disability package after getting out of the Marine Corps. This body of work is a visual representation of how my brain works since being involved in the Iraq War and how that changes the way in which I process information and express it. With training for war and the experience of war itself I have been hardwired to act on and respond to violence and possible threatening behavior in an instance, and because of this my attitude is one that is on edge and in constant ready mode being willing to meet hostility with aggression.

            This is evident in my work with the images of war that are presented and also how the surface in itself is handled. This can range from expressive brushstrokes up to actual destruction of the surface through hitting, drilling, or stabbing. From these rough patches in my life I have come to realize that the worse the situation that an individual is dealing with that the darker the humor that person relates to and can laugh from. Being able to express humor in horrible situations is one way in which people are able to cope with tragic experiences, and in some cases it is the only way in which a person can deal with what is going on around them because their brain has no other way in which to process this.

            So, is this why I find that statement about me funny, because it actually is funny, or that I have no other way that my brain can process it?