"Mapping"

Artist Statement
I make many different kinds of paintings and drawings. I have never felt I could continue as an artist if all I did was make the same kind of work over and over. Art for me is an ongoing and ever changing process and that by allowing these changes and developments to happen, I am growing and moving forward as an artist. But however varied my work is it contains a common thread throughout. This thread is is a “look” or a “feel” that I try to infuse into every painting and drawing I make. I want the work to be as authentic and real as I can make it, meaning it is as close to my vision as possible. And I try not to make it too “finished” or perfect, allowing for fortuitous mistakes to become part of the piece. I think this helps keep the work alive and more human and less sterile or contrived.

And finally, I try to make paintings and drawings that contain a timeless beauty. I am very interested in representing beauty through abstraction. An image of beauty is a something that we can conjure up in our minds at any time whether it is an image we have of something in nature like a flower or a waterfall....or even a painting. This image of beauty is a concept we have as individuals and is therefore a very subjective one. One person's idea of what makes something ugly is another person's idea of why it is beautiful. The image of a wilting rose on the vine that has withered and turned brown might be a good example. One person sees a dead flower, another person might see how beautiful the cycle of life is in that one flower. I think this same concept can be achieved through art. That is my hope as a painter anyway.