artist statement
My work draws on memories both past and present, natural elements, pattern and time. The work is the representation of what I see and experience; not what I see literally, but the way my mind works around, through and in an object. The language I have created stems from these inspirations and filters through the dialogue of abstraction. The result is a visual diary as the viewer is allowed to witness every step of the process.
As an artist I can only use certain tools to represent my subject matter, and my struggle in achieving this goal is what drives my art. These forms are far more complex than one can imagine; their birth, growth and death cannot be seen in one static representation of the form. Using layering and line to achieve form and space, marks emerge and dissolve from sight; moments of clarity are built and lost under layers; bold marks are reduced to ghostly scratches. The work becomes extremely gestural and alters the subject matter into a new form.
There is a constant dialogue that takes place between me and the artwork. As I explore the tools of representation such as composition, line, medium, etc., I am aware that marks can only interpret my emotions. Therefore, I use the drawing/painting mediums to further push the imagery I wish to create. Where I am fighting with the processing of my own varying emotions, the mediums I choose to work with struggle as well. Using mud, graphite, powdered pigments and oil paint on raw canvas the surface buckles and contorts to these toxic paints. These choices, along with the imagery I draw on, present a raw and honest technique. Sometimes violent, sometimes dark and other times melodic, the work attempts to express pure emotion.