Joe Neaf Artist Statement I make work that speaks to the times we live in.  The past art all the way back to the dawn of human culture is inspiring, but my time is now and I don't care to be an artistic historical re-enactor, though my hands and mind are little changed from those who went before. In the past there were people that didn't know each other, aliens by distance and custom, but now we are coming to be one people from pole to pole and any war is a civil war.  We know now that the air I breathe is the air you exhale.  "Us" and "Them" are becoming "We".  Unfortunately we are still behaving rather badly to ourselves.  We allow preventable hunger, sickness, poverty, suffering, and injustice.  The reasons for these wrongs do not excuse them or relieve anyone from responsibility.  Whatever our personal political persuasion or faith, we share some ethical truths instinctively and we can and will build on these.  They need not be listed; we all share them. We are now faced with the questions that artists can help explore.   Can we know the good by our perceptions?  Can our impression of beauty be a guide to do the right thing?  How do our senses affect our sensation of self?  Can we, frightened beasts that we are, overcome our fears and achieve the good that we desire?  How can we apply what has been learned about the world and about ourselves to making art and living creatively? As an artist I feel an imperative to speak out and as part of my work to call attention to the events of the day.  I paint what I see happening around me.