— August 2019
My current work consists of abstract drawings, collages, and paintings. I use a variety of materials including ink, pencil, watercolor, and acrylic. I build shapes using repeated series of lines, marks, or gestures that rarely overlap. Things I see every day like plants, animals and rocks, weather changes, and man-made things inspire these shapes. I leave specific areas of the paper untouched, forming shapes from nothingness.
My drawing process involves deliberate imitation of organic growth of plants and animals. I also imitate the waving motion I see in water and wind and the movement of the cosmos in the night sky. But anything I see, hear, or feel may inspire the physical process I use to create the work. I draw freehand—progress is slow—and the images emerge bit by bit. In many of my drawings I limit the palette to black ink on white paper because I like the clarity I get from keeping it that basic. When using color, I improvise, riffing on colors I see in life and in my mind.
My working process is spontaneous and intuitive. The abstract ink drawing series began in 1993, and for the past year I’ve been developing the idea further. A sampling of the results appear on this website. I like working with abstraction because it feels like inventing things I haven’t seen before. My images may mean particular things to me but the final images are ambiguous, and I leave interpretation open to the viewer.
I’m entranced by the vibrance in everything around me, and I acknowledge an all-pervasive consciousness. I am grateful that I am part of this universe that is so much bigger than myself. I don’t understand life, but I’d like to. So I observe the world of objects, beings, air, and light and put the information through the filter of my consciousness — then I make it into something expressive. I share my work to see if it resonates as true with others. This experiment is ongoing.