With the advances in communication and technology, our world in many ways seems much smaller than it once was.  But it also feels like we’re losing touch even as the lines of communication are more open and free.  How many times have you been guilty of texting instead of calling?  Substituting online interaction for the real people just outside your door?  The work of mixed media artist Clark Goolsby reminds us just how fractured our world has become.

Culture and news spreads more rapidly than ever, for better or worse, lives can be changed overnight thanks to media exposure.  Families text, Twitter and Facebook each other while in the same house, even the same room, instead of having a real conversation.  Almost all of our needs can be met online– work, news, reading, shopping, etc. and the more we rely on it, the more insidious it may become.

Goolsby’s use of line recalls the wires and cables that connect us and make all of this communication possible.  But we also see in his use of graphics lettering & images and brightly hued, fractured geometric forms that this bombardment of media, though enticing, takes it toll on our psyche and our relationships.

I’m as guilty of the overuse of technology as anyone.  I write this blog.  I use Facebook & email as my primary means of communication with friends & family who are far away.  But nothing beats a day spent outdoors with my husband or having a face to face conversation with a friend.

Do you have a strategy to avoid communication overload?  Please visit Clark Goolsby’s website to see more of his work.  But after you’ve spent some time with his work, turn off your computer and talk to a loved one face to face. 😉

Thanks to Cacaphony Art House for introducing me to this artist!

Featured image is Unknown Degredations, mixed media on wool over panel, 16×20.  All images are via the artist’s website.