About

Artist Statement

I create abstract paintings, sculptures, and prints about the invisible structures made from personal choices, and the frailty of human behavior. Molecular structures, and man-made systems whether they are psychological maps, digital or communication systems, are what I am curious about. Psychology, physics, data, and mathematics are inspirations for my work. I am fascinated by the concepts of harmony, chaos theory, and social media algorithms describing how choices build up into complex structures. We are at a unique moment in time where the term “digital cloud” has become a place where we store all our information begging the question, where is my identity? I wonder if I am reduced to a number with all the numerical assets I have in the world. Increasingly, the way we communicate is through a device or on social media.

As a multidisciplinary artist, I begin with wire sculptures to explore natural and man-made systems, and then translate my forms into paintings. My sculptures are spray painted mesh and woven aluminum wire with plexiglass components that mimic atomic energy, spiritual currents and root systems to describe how we share information in a digital world. I paint large format abstract oil paintings using an array of tools to manipulate paint. Using brushes, palette knives, and stencils I build up thick surfaces. My compositions change depending on the way I describe my subjects. When I explore binary decisions, I use an automatic painting style of choosing only left or right. I blend between colors and turn the canvas frequently to create a maze of uncertainty which is often what our modern complex world has become. The result is architectural structures viewed from multiple perspectives. Another series I work on is music and cosmic energy. I incorporate the ciphers of sheet music and connect the notes similarly to how neurologists describe how the brain interacts with sound. I use color theory exploring the concept of binary decision-making by working through complimentary colors to create chromatic neutrals. I use stencils to describe subatomic particles shifting from one color to the next.

In my latest series, I contemplate our identity in the “digital cloud,” I compose my paintings and sculptures mimicking the ethereal quality of vapor. I paint the intricate dance of atoms and mathematical waves, with stenciled numbers and human silhouettes. To begin, I work in oil paint similar to abstract expressionists. Next, I order the chaos created by editing, and defining my erratic marks.

It used to be that people would write letters, but now we use social media and other platforms to share our stories. I explore how these stories grow similar to roots systems instead of the concept of a tree of knowledge. Developing prints using silkscreen, cyanotype, and mono print methods, I continue my investigation, incorporating root structures, neurons, and tree imagery to describe how technology has altered storytelling and sharing information.

I find our society is grappling with communication break down from complex decisions that don’t fit into a binary decision process. Artists such as Terri Winters, Glenn Ligon and Jasper Johns inspire my style of working because they all look at systems whether they be invisible, language based, or through compositional elements.

My works highlight the invisible connections in the background of our shared human experience. Our political climate, and increased use of social media for communication give me ample resources of how human behavior is changing amidst this complex digital world. While I don’t know where it will all lead, I like to create work that begs us all to question what does it mean to be human?