Blue Crush Print

My work uses abstract shapes to stand in for bodies and landscapes as well as emotions and relationships. Taking design from the microcosm of cellular structures and internal organs as well as the macrocosm of an undersea world or stars in the universe, these forms interact in ways that describe feelings and experiences that can be hard to put in words. Using abstraction, I avoid gender, race, and other specific descriptors, instead pointing out the ways we are similar. I can show that we have more in common than we think; that we are not alone in our complex emotions and the ways we interact with each other and the world. These forms often reach out, but don’t connect, or merge in beautiful or awkward ways. They may shift to avoid contact or set themselves apart. The colors may indicate a body part or organ, but really be a place on a map. Playing with these contradictions suggests more layers of meaning, but nothing too specific. The work is open to interpretation. Utilizing all mediums and surfaces, I will choose what to use depending on my own time and the materials available. I try to never leave too much trace of my mark making but you always know that someone’s hand made it, not a machine. I work intuitively, often beginning with a random choice of color, leaving some things to chance, but always controlling the final outcome. I can adapt my way of working to my circumstances, whether that be a dining table, a sunporch, or a floor. Currently working in a large studio, I am getting back to larger scale oil painting after years of needing to work small and in water-based media. I am looking forward to playing with many layers of materials and ideas.