Statement
July 2002

In the space before the submerging into dream and the space before cresting into wakefulness I find the greatest clarity of thought. It is on this quiet ground I stand when I paint.

The sum total of painted images, from the dreamings of the past to the shadows of the present
This is my tool, my heritage and my conversation.

The still voices of the first poets
The ancient ones who first Worded the world into being
they are my ancestors.

My own paintings are my modest chapter in this long story.
They are a little door that I humbly open and invite others to see what I have unearthed.

Painting is the way in which I conquer.
To conquer:
my fears of the unknown within
my ambitions for the future
my expectations of self
my illusions of meaning.

The Great Battle is:
that which I know
that which I desire to create or depict
that which seems fixed or absolute
versus
that which is unknown
that which becomes created without desire
that which is fluid and mysterious

In the cloud of unknowing:
Intuition is my greatest compass.
The colored mud itself is my greatest frustration.
The unconscious is my deepest wellspring
The great mythologies are my densest puzzles and brightest illuminators.
Nature is my inspiration.

Toward the within is my direction
Here Time is non-linear and non-circular.

Painting teaches me about non-attachment to form, feeling, and sensation
and in so doing I evolve in empathy and compassion.

The act of painting is a meditation
The act of painting is a crucible
The act of painting is an expression
The act of painting is an excavation of memory.

The imagery derived is the poetic language of a story I never realize I'm writing.

 

Thoughts on Drawings
Aug 2002

Charred, carbonized wood
scratched
on flat dried sheets of wood pulp,
pulverized now
into pristine bleached paper.

Drawing begins with the death of trees.

the Beginning.
the rudimentary, primeval ways.
to seek understanding.
to make marks
in this phenomenal realm.

Thus is birthed into our curious world
the entry point of metaphor.
A relationship of form to form
and form to being.
And being in space and time.
It is a linking back,
to the first poets,
to the advent of symbol and signs.
And even before that,
to mystic initiations deep within caves.

The origins of written language
the glyph
and Instructions for the Dead
began with drawings
The deciphering of mechanics in Physics and Mathematics begins
with the scrawl of white chalk on slate
in rarefied vernacular.
It is true
all great structures and machines begin first with drawings.

Dreams are the drawings of our slumbering minds.

Wars begin with drawn lines on drawn maps.

Blink.
Light and Shadow are drawn across the retina,
then down the optic thread.
In a way, whether it is our own
or the Deity's,
all that we see in the world is someone's drawing.

 

Acknowledgments

A very humble Thank You to:

God
the one and only, the greatest artist, by whose grace go I

A very special Thank You to:

My parents, Frank and Brenda Zolli,
upon whose foundation of constant love, assurance, and support I have become the man I am today

My brother Andrew,
Whose tireless support, encouragement, wisdom and love has carried me through the darkest valleys

My brother Alexander,
who I have watched grow from a beautiful boy to a thoughtful and intelligent man, and whose love and
admiration I strive to be worthy of.

My partner and muse Ann,
who loves and supports me and eases my suffering

My uncle Michael Zolli,
whose guidance and love has helped me achieved my creative goals

Thanks and appreciation also to:

Jennifer, my new sister
Papa Chaz Zolli,
Nana Zolli
Danny Zolli,
Bob Jr. And Susan Zolli and A2Z,
Sheila Zolli, Maribe Zolli, Carolyn Zolli
Uncle Ed Hanson, who will forever live in my mythic imagination "Well Goddam!"
Ginny and Bob Gill
Tim Tebbutt, a profound artist, a spiritual brother.
Rachel Ford, my globe skipping earth goddess
Esa Dean, earth goddess and visionary
Kesler Pierre
Stephen P.
Mark Hogan
Jay Twitchell and Ivy Baldwin
Bill "The Prophet" Dodds,
Shields and Francis Flynn
Kaji Aso, my Eastern painting teacher
Miroslav Antic, my Western painting teacher
Bill Flynn, my drawing teacher
Bobby Friedman
The folks at Shim Gum Do Zen Sword School
The Museum School, Boston, my beloved alma mater

All the families of Europe who made my voyage there such a profound experience:

Walker Family of Norwich England
Sayers Family of York, England
Famillie Zolli du Quimper, France
Famillie Zolli/Minel du Nancy, France
Famillia Zolli di Venetzia, Italy
Famillia Zolli di Firenze, Italy
Famillia Zolli di Benevento, Italy
Famillia Zolli di Lucera, Italy
Fammillia Zolli di Trioa, Italy
Fammilia Zolli di Napoli, Italy

And to all my loving friends through the years whose names I may have failed to mention here, thank you.

Special thanks to Andrew for creating this website for me