Creation inspired by creation.

I see the natural world as living artwork, but so often the details of this magnificent creation go unnoticed: how the wind becomes a wave as it moves through tall grass, how the passage of time is evidenced in the colorful layers of rocks, or how a beautiful pattern forms behind a worm as it eats its way through a leaf. I work with mixed media to create abstract depictions of conversations between unpredictable natural forces and my subconscious memories of details I have encountered in the world.

In the studio, I employ processes that impact nature such as erosion, evaporation and gravity to bring in details that cannot be recreated by the human hand. Much of my time is spent watching and waiting for paint to slowly migrate across the canvas. It is a reminder that the natural world does not work on our time-frame, and I embrace this time as a meditative activity. This work has become a back-and-forth between nature and my
human tendencies. Sometimes impatience or fear of imperfection leads me to intervene in the natural flow of these forces, but the flow counter-corrects. I mimic the layers of the earth’s crust, but only by adding manufactured colors and man-made materials. It is an ebb and flow between who I am as a natural being and how I am influenced by the culture around me.

With the unpredictability of my process, I do not spend time planning what the final product of my work will look like, but rather, my studio time is filled with experimentation. I bring in different materials, textures, patterns and colors to see how the natural forces will interact with them, which creates details that cannot be replicated. As humans, our brains want to place these unique and unrecognizable forms into categories, which leads viewers to see a crashing wave, a mountain range, or a desert horizon. Other times, my work lends itself to less clear imagery, allowing the viewer to bring their own experiences and interpretation to it. Whatever that interpretation is, my hope is to encourage an inclination towards the natural from our tendencies to favor the unnatural.