artist statement: I paint figures based on memories, focusing on certain areas to detail, while leaving other spaces undefined and nondescript. As I begin layering the carefully mixed color, I feel the continual need to paint over my progress. This process of painting and repainting continues until I can find colors beyond imitation, and give new shapes to what I see.
what is your approach to create meaning through composition? “I create something more than the photos I work from. Creating something new, with its own history. The content is my attempt to interpret what I see into what I want to see. If the composition is not satisfying, then I must re-work the painting until it is a meaningful situation on the canvas.�
explain your process and why it is meaningful to you. “I often use loose drawings, or I generalize objects with neutral variations of browns to get values and shapes. I figure for about every ten paintings I do, I get one that I’m happy with. If it’s a figure I have to break the image down and focus on the compositional elements then start adding the color relationships. When it’s a landscape I try not to let my paintings get too careful or self-conscious. I like the unintentional mark, the layers. Sometimes I will gesso over an entire painting that I feel is not working, it creates something for me to solve.”
how would you describe your style? “I like the way a dear friend said it; ‘More of a linen than a lace’. I have a diverse subject matter, but a very clear way of solving a painting.”
what is an underlying concept in your work and why is this concept important to you? “One underlying concept is recording memories in a new way. Creating my own interpretation of what I see in life. The human figure is one of my biggest challenges, but it’s also the greatest payoff. I like having non-descript surroundings to create a mood or a story. I feel a bit more ambitious about my future work, it has evolved over the past year and I know it will continue to change as I continue to change. Using the human figure in my work has been a refreshing new way to learn and grow as an artist.”
what is the best artistic advice you have received, and what advice you would offer to another artist? “Someone told me how important it was to simply create. Keep working. Keep your hands, your mind, and your heart all aligned. It’s very hard. I think that one has to be persistent. The ones that really want it and are going to persist are the ones who are going to be artists. Also, do the things that come naturally, but at the same time do the very thing that you don’t know how to do and that you’re afraid to do. It is the instinct as well as the things you have to learn, you have to do both. It’s a fun challenge.”
what is in your toolbox? “I am very fond of filbert brushes, because you can draw with them, paint with them, and they are nice and thin. I buy them all the time. I switch brushes constantly. It’s funny, once I really get focused on a painting, I will find I have collected six or seven different brushes in my left hand that I am no longer using, all wedged between different fingers- I have to stop what I am doing and set the extra brushes down. I also have various palette knives for scraping and creating textures, I use them as often as brushes.”
fill in the blank: “when i’m in my studio, i feel ____________” “I feel motivated, inspired, and ambitious... I look forward to the time I can spend working in my studio.”
how do you fight creative blocks? “I gesso something. Anything. Just painting some white acrylic gesso on an old notebook, or some masonite panels. It gets me thinking.�
professionally, what is your goal? “I would love to work for a company that requires pursuing creative concepts. I feel qualified in that aspect- problem solving and creating an aesthetic that draws the viewer in. I thrive when I have a project, a goal, or a deadline. I make lists and then accomplish them. I can’t wait to see what is in store next. The art world fascinates me and I am happy to be a part of it.”
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