Artist Statement

Fundamental to my practice is the notion that much of what happens in the world is governed by chance. Mine is an experimental process designed to explore the physical exchanges of my chosen materials. I begin paintings with only a basic composition; I then allow the materials to interact with each other as I engage with the textures, colors and shapes that emerge. For me this mirrors the serendipitous and unpredictable process that is life.

I have designed my practice to be process-oriented because process is all there is. There is only becoming; a permanent state can never be reached. I am interested in how objects in the environment acquire and shed particular characteristics. How do people accrue and evolve personal traits? The layers of matter built up and worn away on the earth’s surfaces mirror the accumulation and loss of experiences and memories in the human psyche. While these processes appears parallel, all of nature’s materials are interdependent and constantly interacting. My work considers time as the medium in which transformation occurs and friction as integral to the process. Wind, water and chemical elements collide and interact over time creating the layers of texture and color on the earth’s material surfaces. This reflects the personal interactions both nurturing and challenging that underpin human experience. I often use materials that “don’t mix” in order to explore that friction and how opposing elements can create curious and compelling results.

Though inspired by natural landscapes and surfaces, I avoid any narrative or literal imagery. These pieces often suggest multiple perspectives and ambiguous textures. What is a close up rock surface to one viewer may be a satellite view of water to another. I rely on abstraction because I do not want to impose a specific story, concept or object on the viewer. Rather I hope that the viewer will make their own associations in connection with a personal trove of memories and experiences. I wish for the viewer to reflect on their own connection to the interdependent processes that govern our relationships with each other and with nature.

“Memory may give warmth to the ruthlessness of time just as water softens a stone.” - Haruki Murakami. These paintings are perceptual in nature, intended to inspire quiet experiential reflection which may be personal or touch on something universal. Each is a meditation on time and the mystery, spaciousness and rich accidental beauty of the natural world as well as its fragility.