My work touches on that space between “place” and “self”—two concepts that on one hand are concrete and on the other hand are elusive. These concepts are so interconnected I cannot separate them, as if one does not exist without the other. My work is both meditative and literal, taking on the unique feel of being in a landscape—that feeling of space, the sun warming your skin, memories that are awoken by the scents, the sound of a bee nearby, the blurry flash of a bird that just passes your gaze. My work is a meditation on space and balance—that distills the experience of place and memory into the visual poetry of shapes and marks.
Travel and nature are the inspiration for my work. I’m an avid adventurer and explorer of places off the beaten path—places/journeys that push the boundaries of self—long-distance trails, mountain summits, and far-away places. I have always examined the details of natural things, the texture of a rock, the color shades in a sunset, the way the wind feels on my skin. On the surface, I’m delighted by the beauty of it all and wish to capture that in my work, but there is also a primal quality to it that illuminates the connection between place and self, and how these concepts are linked to deeper parts of consciousness.
My process begins with words, a list of words, or a poetic sequence of words, thoughts, or ideas. In this way, I consider my process to be conceptual. I explore and meditate on these words/ideas, and once I’m fully in that space, wrapped up in those thoughts, I let my body take over the process. My paintings are minimalist and expressive in their articulation, shifting between blocky shapes, and gestural movement and line. I spend a lot of time meditating on nature—it’s intimate complex textures balanced by wide open spaces, big skies and mountains. Both my sculptures and paintings capture this, with their complex detail balanced by solid color, big shapes, and open space. Among some of the words that influence my work are: distance, horizon, sun, moon/moonlight, butterfly, time, mountain, love, wind, silence, memories.
My work is a weaving of place and self, and an exploration of the interconnection between them. It is an exploration of consciousness, memory, and experience—our consciousness intertwined with place, landscapes, and nature. I’m interested in creating a meditative space, one that invites, and reflects, a deeper connection between self and world, without separateness.
PAINTINGS:
I work in two different series: “Expressions of Place” and “Objects of Memory”. Expressions of place is more gestural and loose—with marks and color auras that float amongst large black shapes, giving an almost landscape-like feel to the composition. Objects of Memory is more shaped based—with shapes and marks that interact to create a playful world, often taking on the feel of a still life or that of a hanging mobile.
SCULPTURES:
My sculptures have evolved from a process of arranging found objects and textures. Over the years, I’ve shifted from three dimensional sculptures to textured wall sculptures. They are meditative spaces with complex details, and always monochromatic to capture light and shadow on the surface. Place and process are important elements of my work, and the materials I use in my wall sculptures reflect this. These textural details are primarily formed using two sources of materials—waste products from my studio (from my painting process), and decayed plant life from the land on which I live.
MY DESERT IS BLUE AND GOLD, 4 ft by 4 ft, mixed media on canvas.
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES:
Art was my first language. My mother was an artist and would set me beside her while she painted. She had oil paints and I had crayons. She painted landscapes and still-lifes. Serene landscapes with a lonely barn perched on open hill, and objects arranged in perfect balance—these are the things I remember from those times. She also drew realistic portraits in pencil. Though it was her landscapes and still-lifes that provided the greatest influence on my work. My work spans between bold abstracts that have an almost landscape-like feel, to others that give the feel of a still-life.
I’ve been inspired by meditative practices and Japanese Aesthetics. The representation of nature in Art Nouveau and Japanese ink paintings were among my earliest artistic influences. I worked with pen and ink a lot in my youth, blocking in black shapes between line and whitespace. In college I became fascinated by the black squares in some of the Hubble telescope images, and started covering everything in black squares, from my paintings to my studio ceiling. During my time in Florida, while working on my masters degree, I began working with natural tones and lighter colors, producing a series of white paintings. The natural elements of the places I have visited and have lived always bring about small shifts in my work. After moving to Arizona I was dazzled by the fiery sunsets, but soon found myself lost in the big blue skies, constant sunshine, and sun-bleached grasses swaying in the wind. Now in New Mexico, more green, soft pinks and bits of lavender are making their way into my work. But black, pale blues, and ochres remain constant; the desert still dressed in blue and gold.
My artistic influences span from Abstract Expressionism to Minimalism—hence the simple yet complex language of my work. Like many artists, I’m greatly inspired by artists like Motherwell, Frankenthaler, Rothko, Twombly, Miró, Kandinsky, and Ellsworth Kelly (those big yellow shapes are so visually satisfying). Large black shapes, auras of color, solid color shapes, wispy marks, and playful shapes all work together to form my artistic language.