The Rise and Fall No. 50 (Framed) Collage

My work examines modernism and our relationship to nature throughout history. My decades-long interest in birds developed while observing birds owned by my grandfather, who was a bird breeder during an era when harboring birds in cages was popular. My oil paintings are faux-collages on canvas recreating the forms of torn vintage documents from various eras. Color, pattern and texture are layered like sedimentary rock from our collective history, with details such as intentional drips, marks and signs of age applied by hand. Birds are the protagonists, foraging what mankind has left behind. In my work the birds are free, telling a story with fragments from our past. Also included here are my collages and ink drawings on paper, done as studies for my larger oil paintings.