Artist Statement

My artwork explores the cognizance of the living and human perceptions of and connections to nature. The vitality of life fascinates me, including my own hyper awareness of its existence. Daily I am reminded of the complexity and beauty of nature, and I often seek to relate my perceptions of the world to the perceptions of other living species. In this manner, I continually work to understand and reconnect with the natural world both as an artist and as an individual.

I have found that the process of creating artistic works encourages a heightened sense of awareness and a greater understanding of the world around me. I use ink, marker, acrylic paint, canvas, wood, and silk-screen techniques to create images of animals that attempt to capture my ever-changing perceptions of their existence. I create bold images using line work to draw out organic shapes and the natural patterns of my subjects. I generally repeat my subjects layering or varying the scale in order to create a more complete perception of them in a changing environment. Color is integral to my work, capturing the life and vitality of nature and providing tone and harmony to my imagery. When I feel I have made an intimate observation or captured a feeling of my subjects, I am filled with a sense of peace and admiration for the world.

My most recent work includes a series of hand-drawn and painted birch panels of animals found in the coastal region where I live. Each panel is chosen by the texture and pattern of its wood grain, then one or several animals are drawn onto the panel with permanent marker, painted in acrylic washes, and varnished to draw out the pattern of the wood grain. I generally work from photographs, combining elements and using multiple angles, altering colors, and creating a new conversation with the subject. I hope to create images that exist harmoniously in the peripheral of reality, within a collective or shared space, where uninhibited conversations can take place about our own function in nature.