Ghost Particles no. 1

3 - 22" x 30" canvases

Acrylic

SOLD

The "Ghost Particle" series is the result of an interest I have in particle physics. A Ghost Particle, or neutrinos as the physicist call them, is a subatomic particle which has virtually no mass and carries no electronic charge. This elusive make up allows them to speed from their point of creation, such as our Sun, across the universe at close to the speed of light. The lack of electronic charge allows these particles to pass through any mass with almost no resistance. The neutrinos lack of mass and electronic charge make them virtually undetectable and invisible to modern science hence the name Ghost Particle. It is only by detecting the result of these particles interaction with substances here on earth that we can see any physical evidence of their existence.

Ghost Particles no.1 was a case of the painting arriving before the concept. My intent in painting abstract expressionist paintings is to work as intuitively as possible. When I work I like to work as quickly as possible. Relying heavily on the experiences and knowledge to assemble themselves in semi random fashion. I say semi random because I am making decisions as to where and how the various elements of the painting assemble, however, I am pushing my work speed to try and push past overly cognitive thought processes. What I would like to see is a process which relies heavily on psychoanalytical expression. The paintings always surprise me.

In my previous painting Burning Bush, I created some brush strokes which I liked and wanted to adopt as a style. I finished this painting at the same time that I watched the NOVA program on neutrinos. During and after the creation of this painting I spend a fair amount of time just looking at it. What I began to see in the brush strokes was a portrayal of particle physics. These images I created were distinct object without defined borders. They seemed to me to represent a great deal of energy and movement. The black flares behind the blue appeared to me as black sparks representing antimatter and the blue sparks the embodiment of the neutrino's vibrant subatomic energy.

It is the metaphorical similarities between neutrinos and God that have captured my interests and resulted in the desire to create a series of Ghost Particle paintings. Logically essential yet scientifically undetectable, God, like the neutrino, can only be detected through His interactions with our three dimensional world. Further, neutrinos manifest themselves in apparently three different types, all the same but different, shape shifting according to some unknown laws, bearing a resemblance to the Trinity as described in the Bible.

The following link provides an excellent article on the neutrino and the history of it's discovery.

http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume9/issue2/features/cull2.html

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