Artist Statment

My work reflects the idea that truth and beauty are "imperfect, impermanent and incomplete". This concept is rooted in the Japanese aesthetic tradition known as Wabi-Sabi. Difficult to define, it embraces the perception that truth is found in the observation of nature and that life is evanescent. Simplicity is at its core.

My intention is to translate these ideas into metaphorical images. Images that represent the transient and random elements of the natural world; a world that appears as a unified whole, evolving or devolving from nothingness.

My paintings and prints rest somewhere between realism and abstraction. While working I keep myself in a fluid balance between meditation and study until a satisfying equilibrium is reached. I know I've created a good painting when it resonates as a breathing entity with a calm core.

The Etchings and Monotypes

The Nevada Jewels etchings were conceived while hiking through the Sierra foothills with my dog, Cisco. I picked up the old, the rusty, the mangled and burned campsite refuse. For the most part, I was captivated by their textures and discoloration, but primarily how they had been transformed from the common to the ethereal. I began to amass quite a collection in my studio.

My souvenirs changed form when I printed them as a relief etching -sometimes beyond recognition-. They are transformed into floating morphed symbols. I am fascinated by the possibility of transmogrifying found objects - rescuing them from oblivion and giving them new life.