Of Money and Man Series

Basic human needs in modern society can be seen revolving around the idea of money.  Monetary affluence only exists because the vast majority of people place value on the present system of currency.  This series dives into the pursuit of money, manipulation of wealth, and obsession for it.

SCAPEGOAT

ink on watercolor paper

Many people have fallen from the peaks of prosperity in society.  People such as Bernie Madoff, Allen Stanford, and Tom Petters, convicted after the economic crisis of 2008, have been put in the public spotlight to blame.  Even though their sentences are well deserved, there are many who go unscathed, protected by a flawed system that bails out banks and corporations.

BULL HEADED BEAR

ink on watercolor paper

This illustration is an obvious reference to Wall Street.  Numbers wave across digital boards in a constant flux as people invest/gamble away their earnings.  Certain stocks can seem to never stop gaining value, yet can crumble without notice.  Much like this open market, American wealth is a grand rich illusion of a head fitted on a body of despair and poverty.

SOLID GOLD WAVE

ink on watercolor paper

Years ago I had a dream that I will never forget.  Men in well cut suits were running across a solid gold ocean attempting to survive the waves as they crashed over them, cutting through their bodies like butter.  This is representational of the way many of us live, attempting to stay alive in a world of growing financial debt, inflation, unemployment and taxes.

TOUCH OF GOLD

ink on watercolor paper

King Midas was cursed, and so are we.  In a world of business, branding, and constant commercial assault, sometimes one cannot help but view each and everything as a commodity.  Living individuals in this world are frequently classified and measured by actual monetary worth.  

"Shame on us for all we have done and all we ever were.  Just zeroes and ones."