Artist’s Statement
“Art enable us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton
This short sentence says much about why I make art and what my work means to me. My work allows me to be lost in time while finding the answers to questions presented by the painting. It is in being lost in the unknowing, in that struggle, that enables me to find my way.
Art making for me is more about the process than the end product. Drawing and redrawing, the marks and lines all become integral to the development of the painting or drawing. This process creates a history that reveals how the painting is made. What is underneath is as important as the final image. In my most recent works, for example, I have been using a grid to provide structure and contrast to more free and expressive mark making. The grid is part of the process and part of the resolved painting.
My inspirations are primarily derived from nature, organic forms, mountains, water and light. I split my time between two wonderful locations, Chicago and Taos, NM. The brilliant light in northern New Mexico versus the cool light in Chicago, the water versus the mountains in landscape, and the season of the year and the colors in the each location offer contrasts that enrich my work.
Artist who have had major influence on my work include Richard Diebenkorn, Brice Marden, and Joan Mitchell to name a few.
This short sentence says much about why I make art and what my work means to me. My work allows me to be lost in time while finding the answers to questions presented by the painting. It is in being lost in the unknowing, in that struggle, that enables me to find my way.
Art making for me is more about the process than the end product. Drawing and redrawing, the marks and lines all become integral to the development of the painting or drawing. This process creates a history that reveals how the painting is made. What is underneath is as important as the final image. In my most recent works, for example, I have been using a grid to provide structure and contrast to more free and expressive mark making. The grid is part of the process and part of the resolved painting.
My inspirations are primarily derived from nature, organic forms, mountains, water and light. I split my time between two wonderful locations, Chicago and Taos, NM. The brilliant light in northern New Mexico versus the cool light in Chicago, the water versus the mountains in landscape, and the season of the year and the colors in the each location offer contrasts that enrich my work.
Artist who have had major influence on my work include Richard Diebenkorn, Brice Marden, and Joan Mitchell to name a few.