statement

The luminosity of color, its possibilities, limitations, and transience form the core of my painting practice. Originally trained in the colorist tradition, historical and experimental painting processes continue to inform and fuel my explorations. Working in a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics and media, such as watercolor, egg tempera, casein, silk, polyester, and velvet, I am investigating the capacity and boundaries of these elements and their ability to construct and challenge conventional concepts of image, form, and materiality in painting.In my practice, I often utilize both painting and mechanical printing processes to emphasize the vividness, clarity, and physicality of color. Often collaging a range of materials and substrates with the likeness of flowers from my imagination further collapses the boundary between the painted and printed image, capturing momentary intimations, and fixing them into a precarious state of permanence. My work explores how luminous color and gesture can transfix the picture of an imagined world, leading me to a deeper meditation on the relationships between humans and our delicate environment. Drawing attention to the fluidity and interconnectedness of the media I use, I aim to capture the tension and physicality of luminous color as material in my practice. 

The luminosity of color, its possibilities, limitations, and transience are the foundation of my painting practice. Historical and experimental painting processes, in conjunction with focused meditation and studies in quantum mechanics, fuel my explorations in abstract image making as a means of spiritual transcendence. 

My paintings are the result of a series of specific steps, starting with a process I call “free painting” which is parallel to the practice of free writing. Spanning over a multitude of surfaces and using diaristic and notational gestures in a wide range of color palettes, I begin by utilizing sketchbooks to test a lexicon of marks and gestures with brushes, spray bottles, and other tools. The ability to close the book pages on themselves allows me to double over the imprinted marks creating a mirror image effect. My sketchbooks exist somewhere between a book of incantations and a record of experiments, all in image form, and holistically informs my entire studio approach. The impressions within serve as the basis for developing larger and more complex paintings, as well as entire constellations, in which marks are repeated, folded or bleed onto one another. In all my works, I use a variety of water-based media such as watercolor, egg tempera, casein, dye and powder pigments which allow me to investigate the capacity and boundaries of fluid image making. A critical element of my practice is the ability to construct images and form through an approach that is intuitive and expansive, as well as one that is tethered to that which is essential to life itself: water.

The images that I create are inspired by visions that occur during meditative and dream states, and the principles of quantum mechanics, specifically that of non-locality. Non-locality in particular demonstrates and illuminates the spiritual beliefs of ancient civilizations - that everything in our world is deeply connected, but which is not always visible. This knowledge, both ancient and contemporary, underscores the importance of meaningful and intentional interaction between people and our precarious environment. I believe this notion is crucial to preserving and uplifting the spirit of humanity. With each painting I make, I aim to transmute my meditations and experiences into a visual world of fluidity and interconnectedness as allegory for the harmonious nature of everything in the universe. Most significantly, I aim to highlight the importance of love as the ultimate motivation in healing our spiritually fractured world by creating works that embody and encourage unity.