Near my neighborhood stands an apartment complex nestled between 9 highway and 169. The complex was built next to the ruins of a hunting lodge owned by Leslie T. Martin who owned a printing company in Kansas City in the early 1900ʼs. All that remains of the lodge is a single chimney and foundation stones. For years I had driven past the ruins, unaware that they existed since the chimney blends seamlessly with the trees. Hundreds of people drive pass the ruins unaware of its presence.
There is a existential sadness expressed in this building quietly crumbling apart as the city moves on from its memory that I wanted to explore. This body of work is painted from photos taken in the car passing Leslie T. Martinʼs lodge on the highway. The paintings are done on the same panel each concurrent image erasing the previous. The only piece in the series that exists is the final image. The earlier paintings only exist as photographs which were then animated, each iteration wrestling for visual dominance on the screen. The only constant is the location of the chimney on the screen which sits stationary as the world around is fluid.
IMG_4619 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
IMG_4620 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
IMG_4621 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
IMG_4622 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
IMG_4623 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
IMG_4624 / Acrylic on Panel / 12" x 9" / 2020
Ruin Off 9 / Digital Video / 1 Minute / 2020