Regardless of their final scope or complexity, my paintings always begin with a period of intense observation of a particular subject. From that meditation comes numerous small sketches, many of which will remain on the studio floor. Only when I produce a drawing that sustains my interest, will I move to the next phase of the process. Yet more often than not, that one small drawing can serve as the catalyst for an entire series of paintings. Generally, the blossoming of ideas from the initial sketch will not fit into one painting, so I work on four or five canvases at a time, allowing each to take form in dialogue with the others. Each represents a discrete expression, but all of them have been informed by the others.
The concept of place lies at the heart of my work. My paintings depict natural and man-made landscapes, but they are also responses to my surroundings. As I navigate through life, I am acutely aware of the places I inhabit presently in the context of where I have been as well as the places before. My current work places a special emphasis on natural systems of water. Seaside and littoral landscapes, maps, and nautical charts all serve as tools for grounding, balancing, and reassessing the elusive intersection of past and present. I am interested not just in establishing boundaries in my images, but in exploring how barriers are broken down and built up. The nexus of these two approaches is where chaos meets order – I am interested in the interstitial space between those two elemental forces. Moreover, my current work is an homage to water systems. I want to convey not only respect for these natural wonders, but also curiosity.
My use of graphite, acrylics and oils on canvas affords wide latitude in the exploration of surface tension on a two-dimensional surface. Through poured layers of paint, transparent color, detailed brushwork, rich and dense patterning, mythical maps and varied natural architecture, I show how water systems breathe and interact with their surrounding settings.
Ultimately, my desire is to convey a moment of my truth where one simply sees what one sees and feels what one feels. My hope is that the viewer will share in this experience, and perhaps discover a new perspective for looking at the water, and where it meets with the land and our lived experience. One could ask what lies beneath my detailed patterns of light on the diaphanous, ever-changing surface of the water. One might wonder what happens at the edges where land meets water. I don’t have answers to these questions. I do not fully understand everything I paint; I make the marks because I have to.