Artist Statement
After retiring from the United States Army, my family and I settled in Lansing, MI, where I graduated from Michigan State University with a BFA in studio art.
My current series is deeply rooted in the neuroscience behind the storage of traumatic memory. Traumatic memories are stored as a collection of fragmented sensory data rather than easily recalled narratives. Instead of an ordered transcript of events leading up to a specific moment, we remember a smell, a taste, a sound, or the ghostly sensation of an unexpected substance on our hands. While recalling these sensations, the area of our brain responsible for verbal communication begins to falter. These paintings are a discussion of what it's like trying to communicate these disjointed experiences when someone asks me "what happened over there."
The individual elements of each painting aren't meant to be literal. They're a sort of personal mythology formed of emotional equivalencies. Each rendered thing is a proxy for another thing. I do this for two reasons. Firstly, it allows me to communicate with the viewer without forcing my ideas on them. Secondly, it provides an emotional buffer against the discomfort inherent in recalling these sensations. My intention is to share my memories while allowing enough ambiguity for each painting to mean whatever it needs to mean to you. I believe the artist and the viewer are each responsible for half of a painting's meaning.
Artist Background
Michigan State University
Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2018
Wayne State University
Master of Arts, 2021
Press
Voyage ATL: Spotlight InterviewGregory answers questions about his artwork and personal history for a Voyage ATL spotlight article.
Weekly Volcano: Hundred reasons to be happyAn interview with Gregory on the eve of the 100th Monkey Party in Tacoma.