Rise Drawing

Boundaries are continuously stretching and devolving while genres are merging and grafting in the contemporary art world. Our waking moments are saturated with new ideas that quickly get old. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with this exhausting amount of information and to become lost in this fast-paced environment. At times like this, I find it especially necessary to turn around and look inward to reflect on where I was, where I am and where I want to go next. I believe it’s possible to make a harmonious contribution to the community only when I first understand and make peace with myself. From that grounding, I can assess next steps to serve in stewardship of self, others and the planet. I endeavor to make visual connections as a means to discover meaningful relationships within and outside myself. These connections function as bridges that organically mend both conscious and unconscious disconnects. Apparent connections become visible in some cases, but I often get lost in the midst of infinite possibilities with no clear direction. Paradoxically, I cherish these lost cases because they motivate a deeper searching and offer more complex and dynamic findings. ¬ My work is generated through an iterative process of layering strokes upon each other. Watching a form emerge from a sea of strokes is like listening to an ever-changing dialogue that, in its own time, falls into harmony. This dialogue generates a reciprocity between ideas and shapes; the fluidity of the process grants me the freedom to shift, transform, and develop my thoughts and the work’s outcome organically. Through this meditative act of mark-making, harmonious connections emerge in my mind’s eye and they link out into connection with others beyond time, space, and beliefs. This inner search and outreach has come to be represented as doors in the work. I’ve come to consider doors as magical thresholds through which new ideas, resources and individuals can meet and evolve in clarity.