Writing about my own art is always difficult. Coming up with titles for pieces that are not illustrations of some one else's idea can be a slow, somewhat painful process.. However, when art is accompanied by some degree of explanation it is always a richer experience. You don't have to read the lyrics or notes inside the CD you just listened to, but its good to know you can if you want to. If I were you, I would have looked at the art on the rest of the site quite a bit before reading this, but the fact you are reading now means you're seeking a little more enlightenment about what I might be thinking.
Site & contents ©Doug Kovacs 2002
Almost every piece of art I create can fall under the loose banner of mythology. Each image, whether it be creature, place, character or object is the representation of a archetype, or tells some kind of a story. The archetype can become a symbol for almost any idea; the story might be one yet to be told. Most of the time the subject of an image does not exist in reality. Dragons, demons, talking trees, zombie deer, and six inch women with chicken feet do not exist. If I had common first hand experience with faeries in my studio, I would probably be more likely to photograph them than draw them. I find the behavior of my two cats far more fascinating than any ghost hunt. The intention of my art is not to lead the viewer toward a "magical" worldview, but rather to suggest that the relationship between the real and imagined is a complex and curious thing. Mythology requires no belief in order to have value.
Faeries
The faerie is a good archetype. It is usually representative of the body and usually female. Everyone loves to look at women. Men are programed this way, and most women would agree that females are generally easier to look at than males. This is not a unique idea. On a basic level, my fascination with the Faerie begins there, but goes on. A faerie is an object in space, but also a being. Where the elaborated interest lies is the transformation of the mundane into the unreal. Every faerie I depict now has a tail. Tails have become an even more necessary feature than wings. Though others may more narrowly define the faerie, the loose definition is that of a small human-like creatures usually with wings and a tail.
The green man is another good archetype. The green man is usually representative of the mind and usually male. A face made of vegetation is a simple combination of elements yielding a plethora of possibilities. It is a god head, devil head, or symbol of the life/death cycle, or any combination of these. Much like the programing mentioned above, the human race is also programed to recognize faces. The green man counteracts my tendencies toward elaboration to the point of confusion by being such a recognizable subject. Painting the green man on metal plates moves the work further into the territory of the iconic by making the green man an object in addition to being an image. What is real and unreal is confused, but still clear if one has the patience for scrutiny.
