Artist's Statement
Many of the choices I make in my work are based on a merger of technical
decisions and intuition. Will I paint on canvas or panel? Do I start
with an underpainting or do I dive in alla prima? What size will it
be? What feels right, will it be oil or charcoal or chalk? When I am
in the midst of working do I feel connected to the art, am I allowing
the art to develop in its own direction, am I responding to that direction?
This is some of the ongoing dialog I have. The answers come from my
intuition. In other words, I don’t think my way too much through
my work. When it feels right I follow that, when it feels complete
then it is done. This is true in my commissioned as well as my personal
work. The only difference is that I choose the subject matter in the
personal work.
For example, recently I was sorting a mound of ubiquitous studio clutter and came across a series of images that had attracted my attention in the past, and I had saved them thinking I would do something with them some day. As I sorted them, I stuck a few on the wall and leaned a few against some boxes. I wanted to be reminded of these pictures by having them visible in my studio. The next thought was ‘Why not paint them?’ What better way to get to know them? This is how the Postcard Series came to be. It created itself and evolved into a series. It was not planned.
My work is described as intense and alive. I would add authentic. I know I am in an authentic place when I feel connected to what I am making and my heart responds to the work. The sensation of this connection fills me with purpose and excitement. And even though there is clearly a controlled hand in my painting and drawing there is also the inner guide which creates (and keeps) the ‘happy accident’. In printmaking, there are a few steps in the procedure which are almost serendipitous if I’m lucky. This absence of control is something I appreciate. It reminds me that I am only a part of this process of making art. I like that.