Armies in the Clouds

Nov 2019 - Jeff Leake & William Kendall

The title “armies in the clouds” is a quote from philosopher David Hume. He discusses how what people see in clouds, stains, or trees reveals more about themselves than what those things might resemble.
 
Jeff Leake statement:
One theme that runs through much of my work is the difference between the intended message of the stories and symbols we we use to convey cultural ideals, and how we really interact with our environment and each other. This body of work is, to varying degrees influenced by my experience this past summer in China, at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency, where I spent three months, and in a general sense can be seen as a reflection on the complexity of cultural interactions.
 
While I have particular things I am thinking while making these, I am always interested to hear the stories that viewers come up with, as such these panels are cut into stylized cloud shapes conveying the notion that what we see in the clouds often reveals something true about ourselves.
 
William Kendall Statement:
My hope for the art I create is to combine energy, function, decay, color balance and classical art composition meshed with graffiti. As a student of Jesse Reno and a graduate of PNCA I have taken away a strong sense of process that is rooted in what I call the “ghosting method”, things just materialize while building layers.

I was about thirty years old when I first attempted to make visual art and the process proved to be fulfilling in a way that nothing had never before. Primarily because I could make it alone. Most days I am so grateful for the ability to make art and to be able to share it with others.