Poppies with Goldenrod Painting

I create charcoal from unique materials such as money, documents and plants. These materials have meanings that I can integrate into a painting or drawing. I have developed methods for applying these unconventional charcoals to surfaces. Sometimes I use found objects as templates. Many of my large oil paintings explore patterns. I majored in music and have always been drawn to patterns and variations. Oil painting is my preferred medium because I can make the paint feel expressive and not mechanical. By remaining flexible with my intentions I can decide which elements of a pattern should move forward. I also create figurative paintings. These are tethered in the world around us. I build up my paintings with several layers. Many of my marks are ambiguous and contain elements from multiple strata. This creates a vibration and uncertainty. I like my figurative paintings to hover between the real and the dream. As such, old found photos often provide inspiration, as do travel images.