I am drawn to forms I find in nature.  Most of the objects I collect and paint are vessel forms or structures with a distinct
interior and exterior.  I do not try and replicate the form but use it as a point of reference to create a painting that exploits a
particular joint, crevice, nodule, thorn, spike, flesh or contrasting surface.  My current body of work combines drawing and
painting techniques and explores organic motifs such as seedpods, milkweed, flower heads or buds, thistle, pinecones and
other objects I find in nature. I mix charcoal, graphite, wax medium, gesso, plaster and oil paint on canvas or paper to create
a singular emphatic image that dangles, emerges, drifts or floats within a fluid enigmatic space. My intent is to invent or
reinvent a form I have referenced from nature.

 

Careful observation and continuous drawing from real objects provides me with a deeper appreciation for the beauty and significance in the most ordinary forms. I am most interested in the process that occurs from defining the basic form to application and rendering of details, to the metamorphosis that evolves through layering, defining, erasing, revealing and concealing the essence of the object. The honesty of drawing and showing my hand in the work is important to me because it is the most natural and spontaneous way to reveal the activity of searching and problem solving, the uncertainty of reinvention and the clarity of rediscovery.

​