Jay Schmidt

Region: West

City / State: Bozeman, MT

The use of common images to communicate ideas has always been the basis of my art. Recently these interests have become more focused on political and cultural issues. The war in Iraq, the monumental problems posed by our collapsing environment, and our increasing immersion into an unreal world of electronically induced mirages and hyper- consumerism, are just a few aspects of contemporary life that I examine and chronicle. It is obvious from the titles, Bushnation, Doom Town and Zombie Nation, that I remain pessimistic about our collective ability to address these critical issues. I do remain optimistic in my belief in art. It provides the arena of expression that has enabled me to add my voice of discontent into the world.