I am the voyeur who captures people and their inner moments,
those quiet times when they do not believe that anyone is
watching. I strip away the mask to see their inner soul.
I want to touch each of the emotions, which reside there.
To feel the turmoil, understand the agony, loose myself within
the isolation, become excited as my flesh burns from desire,
have my eyes filled with tears from the sensation of sheer
joy, or fall to my knees under the weight of heart break.
I look inside the true mind where sexuality is allowed to
run wild, unchained by puritan morals and social repression.
Then, I step back and see how it emerges through the filters
of societal guilt. I relish lush color that can cohabit with
the darkness within a subject. An intimate dance between
bright light, and deep darkness, which creates a sense of
perspective that, may tilt out of time and space.
I think of my images as cinematic stills. With each brush
stroke, I am creating one frame of a biographical film. Within
my mind I create a whole back-story, about my subject that
gives richness to their life that I try to evoke in my paintings.
I want people to view the subjects, as if they were eaves
dropping on a moment of inner dialogue.
My primary tool is body language. I love the angles of people’s
bodies, the sharp lines of noses, necks, jaw line and the
flow of hair as it cascades. It reveals everything about
a character. As I paint, I think in terms of film. The core
of the image I am painting is what the camera lens sees.
I then tilt the lens to whatever angle will enhance the particular
mood I am trying to capture. But there are other people on
the set, each having a slightly different perspective. I
use a variety of perspectives to create an exaggerated view
of reality. This also serves to heighten visual tension.
I like small brush-strokes. They feel intimate. I also paint
very close to the canvas, which is equally intimate. I want
the image to holdup if the viewer is an inch away or standing
back 30 feet. I want people to feel as if they could actually
touch the flesh and feel the exhale of breath of my subjects.
Besides being an artist, Duane is also a published poet.
You can explore more of Duane Kirby Jensen’s work
at: myspace.com/threefrogsswimming
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