I remember seeing a house on fire in my neighborhood at a very young age.  I cannot remember how old I was or which house it was, but I clearly remember feeling the heat and smelling the smoke.  Being too young to realize that the lives of the inhabitants of the house were going to be affected, I stood there paralyzed by fascination and awe.  Although I have no reason to be emotionally attached to this event, it remains a vivid image in my mind.  In general when I paint, I construct narratives regarding the ambiguity of my emotions surrounding events like this and try to represent them with images.  

New occurrences are combined with memories as I draw from life, photos, paintings, and my imagination.  Due to the abstract nature of the content, I find it difficult to find a clear narrative in the images once they are finished.  Once completed, I am little different than any other viewer.  I have to find my own way as if looking at the painting for the first time.  Making images usually serves more as proof or to somehow validate what did or what might have happened.  The final product forms a visual guide that a viewer including myself can use to better understand an emotional process or a way of thinking.

James J. Pakola