Artist Statement
I believe there’s meaning in material and process. My practice revolves around constant experimentation and discovery, and the joy this creative energy brings to my life and the world at large.
I am a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores paint as object and architecture through innovative processes using acrylic paint and metal leaf. I am interested in how the heightened physicality of the paint may generate corporeal resonance, and elicit desire or longing. With this work I create experiences that enhance the viewer’s awareness of being physically present, spark conversation, and inspire a sense of joy or wonder. Viewers become participants, and the elements of surprise and wonder become a way for strangers to connect.
My large-scale installations strike a dialogue between hyperphysical paint forms and expanses of metal leaf in which I am painting with light and fields of reflected color. There is a deliberate intersection between the ethereal medium of light and the materially tethered nature of paint.
My process involves pouring thick pools of acrylic paint onto plastic sheeting. Once the pooled paint dries, I peel the skin- or fabric-like material off the plastic, then use it to form three-dimensional objects. Utilizing different sculptural approaches at a wide range of scales, I create paintings executed in space in which the viewer becomes a participant.
I recently started an experimental series of ink and watercolor drawings using unique, powerful tools: vintage and antique brushes that have been worn down and shaped by the repeated actions of unknown strangers. I am honoring the living history of the tools with this work. The watercolors are created with genuine amethyst, hematite, and other gemstone pigments, and are imbued with their healing properties.