This will be my third two person show with Stephanie Brockway. I love the way my paintings interact with here playful assemblage sculptures and puppets. Our work for this show, although not really religious is derived from her idea of "Perge the Demons" as a concept relating to new beginnings as we emerge from what has been a very couple years for most of us. With the combative political climate and the frustration of the pandemic coming to an end, the new mantras seem to be "give love" and "make peace". In this series of oil paintings on linen, I, very lightheartedly, explore what the bible calls the "Seven Cardinal Sins" and "The Seven Virtues". They all seem to me, to be traits, good and bad, that we all possess to some degree at one time or another as we struggle to be better people. And because of that, it has been fun to insert humor into the depictions of these traits, relatable or not...

See Jill's Oregon Art Beat Episode:
Jill McVarish Oregon Art Beat

“I can now safely say that I’ve been doing art for half a century. I’ve done tons of art in loads various types of art in that last half century, but in the last few decades, most of my work was driven by outside forces, jobs, work, shows, deadlines, etc, but Covid19 and the pandemic lockdown changed all that. Last year was the year where all of that was lifted and I was able to do pieces I wanted to do, that just interested me, and not much beyond that.  Many were projects I’d thought about but just couldn’t’ get to, due to the demand of day to day business, and life. So that’s what this is: the year of amusing myself, mostly.”

See Mike's video:
Vampire Killing Kit & Clock Video