Artist Statement
My paintings are abstracted dream-scapes that explore fluid, organic shapes suspended in space. Through a dynamic dialogue between shape and color, paradox emerges from the coexistence of entropy and harmony, chaos and beauty.
Working with acrylic paint, ink, and charcoal, the paintings reference realms of the psyche, of emotions, and the imagination. Prior to the inception of language or logic exists the depths of our internal worlds. We feel before we think, we sense before we find the words.
I seek to give color to the ineffable, to describe that which is formless, to dive into the obscure and uncharted, in search of the one realm with which all things are connected.
I practice painting as a kind of meditation in action. I let the process of mark making take me on a journey into the unknown. The marks teach me patience, teach me self-forgiveness, they are a constant reminder of how to abdicate control. As artists, perhaps as humans, we are plagued by fear of making mistakes. I let the painting process stand as proof that it is exactly these ‘mistakes,’ that when layered and allowed to remain, allowed to exist, create unexpected beauty and resolution itself.
In a stressful and demanding world where our mind is overwhelmed by a rushing crescendo of external stimuli, these paintings call forth a slow, quiet introspection; a re-connection with the rich tapestry and calm of our inner worlds- the wisdom and inner knowing that lies beneath the noise.
So many works of art created by the lineage of great masters throughout the history of art move me deeply- move me to tears.
One evening I asked this question:
How is it that great works of art, music, poetry, film, and writing have the power to affect us humans so profoundly, stir us deeply to the core?
The answer I received was this:
Great art is Love made visible.
Great music is Love made audible.
Great writing is Love experienced and made understood.
Great creative works elevate us. They extend to each of us a personal invitation to participate in the Cosmic Love Affair.
If this is true, it is the improbable task of the Artist to enter into realms unknown, to catch a glimpse of impersonal Cosmic Love and make it visible for the rest of us. The art object itself, the poem, literary work, film, or musical composition, is nothing more than a snapshot taken by a tourist of uncharted territory, a postcard sent to humanity documenting stops along the way; from the depths of the dark underworld, to the heights of luminous heavens- on their quest toward the numinous and sublime.