C. L.  Hause - Artist Statement

           

DreamScape

           

DreamScape started with using subject matter, characters, and image sequences obtained from my own dreams and nightmares to create my own mythology that was based upon these images. I started with paintings of male forms surrounded by vibrant colors but as time went on I saw myself being drawn away from painting and more into creating life size charcoal drawings. I was being drawn from the light of reality into a darkness of myth. I believe that this happened because as I continued to expand my work with black-and-white video, the more the drawings felt at home in this personalized b&w world.

 

            The DreamScape figures are portrayed in very homoerotic bondage styles and positions, while also incorporating inspiration from Avant-garde fashion designers like Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler to influence the design of various wardrobes that help develop the identity of each character. This was also done to add to the illusion that these characters are not everyday people you would meet on the street.

 

I wanted to use shamanistic influences like skulls, bones, masks, etc. to add a sense of mysticism. In order to continue with my idea of a 21st century mythology created out of nightmares but was still rooted in prehistoric mystical context, I replaced furs and pelts with plastics, rubber, paper, polyurethane based fabrics, and Mylar videotape. Animal masks have been added, the typical animalistic shape has been reduced down to simple geometric planes that still give the illusion of an animal’s features, but are enigmatic and reinforce the mysticism aspect. Another detail to add to the illusion was the replacement of the characters familiars* with synthetic ones. They still have the resemblance of a creature, but (like the masks) they have become modern/geometric deceptions of the real thing.   

 

The reasoning for creating my own mythology was to create it as a means of escape. We all need those few precious moments, that allow ourselves to reset whether we read a book or meditate. I am presenting the viewer with a different alternative, and hope to inspire them to use their imagination and create their own mythology.

 

*A familiar (or familiar spirit or familiar animal) is an animal-shaped spirit believed to serve as a companion, in addition to helping to bewitch enemies or to divine information.

 

 

Artist Bio

               

C.L. Hause received his M.F.A. from C.U.N.Y. Brooklyn College.  He also studied for his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University where he received various awards, including the Johnny Hart Memorial Award. Upon graduating he began working for Light of the Moon Publishing.   There he became a published illustrator and released his own personal books as well.