Guy Stuff

This Statement was written in 2001 and was posted in the gallery with the exhibit.
Guy Stuff:
Paintings of cars and trains
by Doug Haynes

In contrast to much of my recent work, this exhibit contains no florals and no baby pictures.

As I think about the subjects I paint, a large portion of my work is what my buddies back in 7th grade would have labeled "faggoty". However, there is a portion of my work ( on display here ) that could be identified as "Guy Stuff". I have long since overcome fears of the fag label and have no apologies to make for the flowers and baby pictures. Actually crossing gender boundaries is an enriching experience. Nevertheless I do not wish to be pigeonholed. I think this exhibit will make a nice contrast to my other work.

Apparently classifying one's artwork into masculine and feminine themes is some kind of hot button issue. Every time I have mentioned this exhibit, someone has either asked why florals and babies do not count as "guy stuff" or warned me that I was going to get myself into some hot water.

Perhaps florals and babies do count as "guy stuff", but when I was a child I do have clear memories of what I wanted to draw (cars and trains) which was quite different from what fascinated my sister (horses). The interesting thing is my approach to the subject has changed. At age 5 or 7 my drawings of cars and trains focused on their power and motion. Nowadays, my approach to cars and trains is the same as my approach to flowers and babies. I try to capture light and color, and am especially interested in the reflection and refraction of light.

Hopefully the work you see here has some freshness and insight, since I am revisiting the subject after a 25 year hiatus. Flowers and babies are available for viewing in my studio by appointment (255-0201) or at www.emeraldstudio.com
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