About the Artist
"My work is dependent on design fundamentals: form, color, and composition. I believe the most complex emotions can be evoked from the simplest of forms. My style explores the relationship between man-made structures and the natural world; the idea of recognizable shapes and structures living within irrational thoughts and emotions. I begin a piece very spontaneously and become more detailed as the composition starts to show itself. The process involves layering. The first layers are the most erratic and freeform, similar to automatic writing. An impasto style is used during this time creating thick textures. I sometimes add other elements like pumice, gels, and collage in these early layers. There are no preliminary sketches or notions of what is going to transpire. I notice different characters and forms in the middle of the process, which I then nurture and allow to develop almost at their own will. A dialogue is created with the painting, and it starts to show me what needs to be done. Determining when a painting is finished is a crucial and difficult step in my process. I always have to see it with fresh eyes after at least a day has passed to decide it is finished.
I derive titles in the same spontaneous fashion that the work is created. They are intended to give the painting an identity and character. My color theory, which seems to be the most immediate aspect of my work to the viewer, is very instinctive and unorthodox. In recent years I've been using more neutrals and oxide colors to enhance the vivid colors, which would be similar to a less is more technique in a more traditional style. Non-objective abstract art is difficult to fathom, and this keeps the viewer interested. As an artist, I am intrigued by this idea. I believe how the viewer interprets the painting becomes the reality for that person. I would be reluctant to interject another perspective." |
