Television. The Boob Tube. My generation grew up with this medium, though today’s youth are obsessed with smaller screens these days. A powerful force in shaping society and public opinion, television has always had an irresistible allure for me. Perhaps this is why I went into video production as a career, and was a DP for 35 years. I also dealt with it in my artwork in a variety of media. Above is a colored pencil drawing from 1990, showing television as a weapon of mass distraction.

In my moneyart work, which was more political, I also addressed television as a source of violence as entertainment. This work was commissioned by Miljosk, a Dutch culture magazine, for a centerfold spread.

Back in 1988, I did a series of pen & ink drawings using surrealism and fantasy to start to speak on social issues. (I know I promised no political work, but this is more social commentary) This drawing is filled with old-school television icons; older readers will catch some of the visual puns. At the bottom is a man crucified on a TV tuning dial. Yes, back then we only had about a dozen stations to choose from – and that includes the UHF frequencies! (Look it up)