The Tower

Generally, I prefer not to go into too much detail as to the "meaning" of my work since I prefer the viewer to be able to have room to interpret. However, I'm going to write a little bit about the ideas that went into "The Tower".

It's a self-portrait; so far I am depicted in my self-portraits wearing a mask. Masks to me symbolize many things from the figurative "masks" we all wear in daily life, to some vague sense of arcane ritual or Bacchanalian rite, to the concept of shame of one's appearance. The figure in "The Tower" is mysterious and alienated from the viewer due to being masked and hooded. In quiet solitude the figure sits passively as the phallic form of a tower burns in the background.

In the tarot, the destruction of the tower symbolizes catastrophe, drastic upheaval or sudden and unpleasant change. As human beings we get stuck in our particular patterns of living and change usually is a slow process. Every now and then there are violent upheavals which shake us out of our routine. The sudden nature of these upheavals are traumatic to us, though in the long run positive change can sometimes occur as a result. Certainly, there have been drastic upheavals in my life in recent months. In "The Tower" the figure sits, apathetically trapped within himself as the top of the structure burns, perhaps symbolizing the beginning of the upheaval.

The calm still of the figure contrasts with the implied violence that occurs in the background. To me, this indicates a sense of the inner self that is unseen and not apparent in the outer shell of the passive figure. The destruction of the phallic structure could also mean impotency and may reflect the passivity of the figure; still, silent or unable to do anything about the destruction.The sky also changes and is a twilight or perhaps a new dawn.


"When seen as a whole, art derives from a person’s desire to communicate himself to another.I do not believe in an art which is not forced into existence by a human being’s desire to open his heart. All art, literature, and music must be born in your heart’s blood. Art is your heart’s blood." - Edvard Munch