Artist Statement
I consider my paintings moments in a story that require viewer participation to finish. These captured moments often present familiar subjects in unlikely scenarios, perhaps nostalgic for something that has past or never was. Much of my work deals with the tension between the human and natural (plant/animal) worlds, whether it is an automobile and an armadillo (Roadkill Series), a man reigning over a pair of pet rabbits (Family Portrait), or the improbable union of manmade instruments and exotic birds (ToolBirds). I investigate this subject with a continuing emphasis on detail and an exploration of the potential in a given medium that best captures the idea in the hope of preserving or celebrating the beauty of something lost through the act of reanimation. My most recent series on paper, the Frozen series, aims to illustrate that even in the cold stillness of the deep freeze there is the movement of soft white ice crystals growing, enveloping and changing what we are trying to preserve. The series considers the many layers of stillness that can be created in an image, from capturing a moment frozen in time to the quiet stillness of an object that is literally frozen. I enjoy creating in everything from wood to film, but primarily work in oil, watercolor, gouache, and graphite.