Artist’s Statement

Art structures and organizes chaos. It creates pathways to intuition and emotion. Intuition finds focus. It distills, pares down the details, and lets the core shine through, while working hand in hand with concept and process.

My experience en plein air is never far from me. Nature lives inside of me. Pastels, oil and cold wax enhance the dialogue between surface and depth, giving each work its subtlety and veils of color.

Working with cold wax and oil paint, and/or pastels is very much a natural extension of my process. I can elucidate my intention by building layers which connect to a deepening of history and a way of going past the mere surface of images. Using beeswax and oil paint is an extension of my process. I can elucidate my intention by marks scraped, carved, and layered which speak to the sensitivity and transformation of my concept. The beauty is in imperfection which can be manifested in as many as thirty or more layers. The depth of the many layers gives the work substance, and a lasting and powerful meaning.

My very particular way of interpreting and focusing on nature and its many manifestations form strong connections for me. Pastels, and oil and cold wax, enhance this dialogue between surface and underlying structure and gives each piece veils of color to which luminosity and subtlety occur. My aesthetic is based on many years of working and teaching, my study of art history, and practicing my craft.