Le Zen Arcade

Le Zen Arcade

This show was inspired by the 1984 release of Zen Arcade by American rock band, Husker Du.  As a DJ at my college radio station, KUPS, I discovered music that wasn’t classic rock nor country n western.  My ears were fully opened and I fell in love with the loud, fast music that would become Grunge.

The pieces were patterned after another inspirational experience on the streets of Denver.  Photographers were submitting their images to The Big Picture and having them printed as large mural a little bigger than 3×4 feet and wheat pasted in public spaces throughout the city.  The process of seeing these grand images go up in alleys and on sides of garage was exhilarating.

So, when invited to a show at the Spring Unveiling in Cannon Beach Oregon, I decided to work in that large format but add a twist.  I hand colored each photograph with old-fashioned crayons.  Each piece took hours to complete, but it was a true venture into creation that I had not experienced in quite a while.  Each piece is named after a song on the album.