Artists

My work has evolved from realistic art in children’s books and commercial publications to abstract forms of expression. This approach to creativity allows me to explore how people and familiar places connect, divide and define us an individuals. Color and form surround us in everyday life and I use both in exploring perceptions.

These connections continue to intrigue me and have become an ongoing theme. How can I capture an intangible subject without use of language? Paintings are started without a preconceived result. In some cases I close my eyes and begin with scribbling a pencil across the canvas. The thought behind the work is communication of moments in time. The end result is a layered surface with remnants of the beginning dialogue still visible. The dynamics of communication devolves to single marks or colors that may represent my unspoken thoughts at the time. Organic and architectural shapes merge in the work. My urge to control the painting is at odds with inviting intuitive play and exploration. I have found that letting go of control is more productive than getting things right. This back and forth dialogue enriches the end result. A variety of tools create the marks and small shapes. The names always come after the art is finished. It may be a memory of an event or recollection of a place that shows up. Other times it is a response to the music I listen to while painting.

The art Mark Rothko, Hans Hoffman and the writings of Kandinsky have had an influence on my painting. Kandinsky proposed that art, like music, need not represent objects; “As music moves the heart of the listener so form and color moves the heart of the beholder”. Experimentation with tools and paint become part of the search to submerge myself without a preconceived picture in mind. My intent is to honor the process using intuitive choices while painting without censoring the result. The pursuit of this is an ongoing dynamic in creating art with meaning.