Artist Statement

In years past I have been able to improve my skill by painting from photographs and studies of the body but lately my work steers in another direction. Now when creating my work it is important for me to give more control to the movement of the paint itself rather than the tool in my hand. This is something fairly new to me as an artist used to more traditional methods. Being able to relinquish more control to the paint allows exploration of my subconscious and finding ideas I was unaware of previously. I have come to find that this experience for me is one of the most important parts of creating my work. The resulting reactions to a less-controlled method draw my attention. This causes me to continue creating work.

I have been inspired by the work of Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, and Tomory Dodge. I am drawn to Richter’s blurring method, Rothko’s use of color, and Dodge’s layers of abstraction. I keep these methods in mind when creating my own abstract forms. These forms often become objects in their own right. Along with creating these objects, color choice is very important. The color palate can relate to my experience, emotions, and concepts for each piece. The viewer will hopefully find the relation of the absence of control in my process shown in my paintings.