Artist Statement

2011

Paintings

My paintings are created as reactions to incidents, conversations, or dreams. I find great inspiration from nature, particularly the different texture of objects, and I enjoy superimposing shapes of both natural and artificial origin. I am most comfortable working in abstraction, but my abstractions are connected to something real and the titles are clues for what they may be. I work in oil paints, primarily on watercolor paper. I begin each painting with an idea in mind, yet this idea may change as the image or textures send me in another direction. The paint is applied thickly at the start. Once the painting is dry I rub, sand or scrape to change the texture and then apply thin layers of paint.

Photographs

I take photographs to use as ideas or inspiration for paintings. I recently began to think about printing my photographs on watercolor paper. I felt it would help create the right mood for the images. Since I like building texture in my paintings, I had been trying to find a way to transfer that to my photographs, and I realized the texture of watercolor paper does create a greater complexity in the photographic images.

I have a fascination with the tonalities and quality of early photography. While taking the photographs for this series I was reflecting on a photograph by Robert Demachy called Speed. It is a photograph of a racecar speeding toward the camera. I thought to do the reverse and take photographs, from my speeding car, of the landscapes I pass. I wanted the work to reflect the natural elements I pass, but to incorporate the same tone and texture that Demachy captured: soft details and forms.

Thank you for your interest.