Like many series, 028_02_752-786 began with found material. In this case, the material was a considerable amount of wallpaper that had been removed from a dining room that I was about to renovate. The gold silk wallpaper had an incredible quality that made it difficult for me to discard. As I contemplated what to do with the many sheets, I was inspired by the gold ground and inherent flatness of the surface to explore a series of icon paintings tied to traditional icons painting on gold surfaces. Instead, however, of choosing to create images, I favored an iconoclast approach that depicted the person via text.
In choosing the particular people who would become my icons, I wanted to select a group who has influenced my work and who have inspired the world more broadly through iconic actions that have changed the course of history. It was important to me that these individuals be positive forces in the world who, for the most part, were above reproach. The specific number of icons depicted was dictated by the amount of wallpaper I had available. It was quite difficult to narrow the set and, as a result, I decided to juxtapose two icons in each work. Ultimately, the intention is to return the framed works to the wall and display them in a single room.