Perception and Consequence Series After the humbling realization that I was not a philosopher and I didn’t have anything new or enlightening to say about the world around me, I decided to paint emotions rather than complex stories or issues. My struggle then became concerned more with how to capture specific emotions or feelings through a still image. Not just happy, sad, or angry, but emotions that were layered with other feelings making them more of a composite of several emotions, and a better reflection of how the human animal actually thinks and feels. The backgrounds have been based on the landscape surrounding me in my hometown of Roseville. I have used my artistic license and made the cliffs taller, the trees more dense, and colors more like the Baroque paintings of Caravaggio and Rembrandt. These changes help me de-emphasize the complexity of the landscape, leaving the work with an focus on the feeling rather than an academic or informative appearance. I have found this goal to be far more difficult for me than I originally anticipated. The problem has been keeping the paintings working on an emotional level rather than drifting back into the cerebral story telling mode. I am satisfied with my ability to paint the images—it’s the ability to accurately portray complex emotions with a single scene that I continue to struggle with. I’m excited about the challenging nature of these emotion-based paintings, and look forward to where they will take me. -Myron     Pandora's Box Oil on Canvas, 2003 27"X41"   The Burden Oil on Canvas, 2003 40"X33"   The Laugh Oil on Canvas, 2003 40"X32"   Perception and Consequence Oil on Linen, 2003 36"X48"   Call of the Sirens Oil on Canvas, 2003 40"X33"   Discovery in the Garden Oil on Canvas, 2003 31"X40"   Flower Study Oil on Wood, 2003 31"X24"   Fortune Oil on Canvas, 2003 23"X40"   Harvest Oil on Linen, 2003 28"X48"   Fire and Its Path Oil on Linen, 2002 30"X40"   Tattoo Oil on Linen, 2003 43"X33"   Melancholy Oil on Linen, 2003 27"X48"