Artist’s Statement
The greatest influences on my artwork have come from German Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. Both movements stress the physical action of painting and this aspect is primary to my style of painting. I do not formally plan a composition, but rather a painting develops, much like a dance, from one action to the next and the next and so on.
I work in many different media: encaustic (hot wax), the combination of oil and cold wax, acrylic, mixed media, and photography. I enjoy working rapidly and spontaneously, incorporating all the “accidents and mistakes” as they occur. My inspiration comes from constantly observing my surroundings and studying lines, shapes, colors, patterns, textures, and shadows. My subject matter is drawn from memories of places and events, topography, historical periods of art, and sometimes purely from the visual and tactile sensations of surfaces and objects.
Our world is so rich, inspirational and constantly in flux providing me with limitless creative possibilities. In the end my goal is to create a work that is expressive, more organic than planned and often emotionally driven and serendipitous.