Subterranean Painting

I work as a painter, printmaker, and papermaker, focusing upon the precarious juxtaposition of daily life and "larger events". My work is narrative and figurative, with an element of magic realism - I am, mostly, a story-teller. I am interested especially in aspects of dislocation and longing experienced by those who are exiles within their own lands and/or who spend their lives mentally, emotionally, or physically stretched between two worlds. While most of the time I work in oils, using traditional materials and methods, about half of my recent work is in paper making, in which I embed text and images. I am currently developing a series of paper pieces incorporating text and photographs made by my grandfather between 1911 and 1925 - I consider these collaborative works. Over the past ten years, I have been resident artist, small finds researcher, and Arabic translator for the Great Arab Revolt Project in southern Jordan (2008-2011).