Statement

 

My main body of work consists of representational figurative paintings and sculptures that explore the contours and recesses of natural forms. My inspiration arises from observing confined spaces, such as the small of the back or the crevices laced through- out a bough. This exploration led to observing the contours of the human body and topographically overlaying contour lines that graphically depict slopes and curves of the form. Exploring the beauty of a natural form, with a focus on the negative spaces that help create the form and lead the viewers’ gaze toward recessed spaces, is central to my current work.

​

"The ideated thing or the idea of the thing-the form-is not an ethereal image of the thing, nor is it how it appears. It is neither a noumenon nor a phenmomenon. It is the thought of the thing, which is to say, its formation, reformation, or transformation into truth."

"In art, truth is what configures the idea, what gives it a body... where the thing unveils itself, showing itself naked..nuda veritas."

Jean-Luc Nancy.

 

While I have worked with oil paints, paper, pulp, clay, and stone, the most organic and satisfying material for me has been clay. Working with clay embodies the process of shaping a form and provides a direct tactile relationship with what I seek to create.   

​

In exploring color I tend toward using a small palette seeking vibrant contrasts while occasionally expanding my color range. My mixed use of color, and brushwork, add to my ongoing struggle between representational and hyper-realistic work. The tension revolves around a conflicted feeling that working too realistically constrains a creativity, while working too loosely feels like I may diminish the representation of the subject.