Michael Chico

Artist Statement

Who knew this quote under my high school yearbook picture from The Jefferson Airplane song "Crown of Creation" would come to define my art nearly fifty years later? But here it is:
"Life is change. How it differs from the rocks."
My artwork embraces that basic truth. Every single thing, at all times, is in a state of fluctuation. The landscape, the color of the sky, the food we've consumed, our emotions, are all constantly in transition.
I begin with my own photographs and utilizing many processes and programs transform them. Sometimes hints of the original remain but most often the final work bears no resemblance to the initial picture. So I've named my stuff "Refried Imagery."
If people ask me "what is/was this?" I respond by telling them I much prefer to hear their unique interpretaion of what they're seeing. Hence, the image is once again in flux.

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