artist statement
My paintings narrate a pictorial world figured by humans and animals in action, set within colorful and abstract landscapes. I work and rework my paintings until the shapes, colors and relationships satisfy me; painting with oil and sometimes gouache as the opacity of both is important to this process. These works are created on wood, canvas and paper.
My camera is my muse in partnership with my computer. I photograph elements in my environment that grab my interest such as patterns of ice on the river, or a strange, tilted sign labeled solely with a capital R. On the computer, I maintain these visual snippets in a huge encyclopedia and create parts to use in my work by digitally drawing what I want, or by selecting parts of the photographic files. This digital work is used either as a source to look at and draw manually on the canvas, or is collaged directly into the painting.
These steps start a transformation that is completed in the painting process. The result is a concoction of both abstract and realistic forms that define a space that is expressive but ruled by the shapes within it.
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