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 CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE SHOW | Recently I realized that I am slowly becoming a project-based artist. I am mainly focused on building collections of paintings centered on a theme or event. Self imposed rules dictating materials, size and imagery to be used are created for each project independently of others. Although painting styles and techniques tend to differ from project to project paintings still share some commonalities: multimedia exploration, strong focus on color and design elements, and implied narrative. My current work combines abstract and figurative elements to create somewhat surreal images. However, my paintings usually vary in style from pure abstraction to heavily figurative depending on the project I am currently working on. Even when working with figurative images my technique is very process oriented. I like to challenge myself by delving into the unknown. I prefer not to use work from finished sketches. Instead, I assemble images I will use as source material while keeping a mental image of how I think the finished painting will look. I believe this approach keeps the painting energy vibrant and fresh. My love of working with my hands and being involved with the process of “pushing paint” has kept me a traditional painter in a world of Fluxus inspired installation and new media art. My paintings are created in layers using a variety of media including acrylic, pencil, watercolor and hand-cut paper. These layers create a playful yet complex assortment of abstract or slightly figurative imagery. The figurative imagery is created by either realistically hand-painting them, stenciling, or cutting silhouettes from paper. Finished paintings can be intimate in scale to larger than life. It is important for me to allow myself this freedom of versatility in media, style and size so that I can choose what will be best to communicate the theme of each new project. Subject matter for each project is also kept open ended because there are so many places and topics for discussion in the world that I find worthy of exploration. No matter what my current project focus is, I like to begin with research into the concepts and imagery to be incorporated. Subject matter for my paintings often comes from poems and literature. Though I admit to not being an expert on either, I often find poignant content that works to reflect my personal life experiences. Some ongoing themes in my work include nature, art history, myths and childhood. |
