Fine Art

Artist Statement

Through the observation of nature, I have created a body of work that borrows from its principles. Of the three states of matter, I find myself most drawn to liquid because of its inextricable relationship with such elemental concepts and processes as birth, erosion, medicine, catastrophe and sex. I'm also fascinated by its ability to act as both vehicle for change and container of life.

These paintings are in fact born out of an obsessive study of the liquid medium-- in this case the study is a self-conscious expression of paint itself as above all else, a liquid. Paint becomes, like water, an essential element used to shape an environment. Just as in nature, the shaping or molding of that particular environment by the liquid produces an emotional, even physical effect.

From this perspective, the simple act of painting can be perceived as an exercise of manipulating liquids of relatively low viscosity. Fluid substances seek to take the form of their container and ultimately find their own level. When the canvas/paper takes the form of a container, it acts as a restraint or surface for motion and emotion-- it transcends its own natural form when acted on by another form. The applications are not just conceptual but profoundly emotional, in the same way the natural world itself affects our psyche not only because of its inherent beauty, but also as a result of our almost animal understanding of the natural process. We are not just moved by the sight of the canyon, we are moved by the slow and steady strength of the river that birthed it.

I hope to reproduce in my work both the process and the result that I've seen mirrored in my own study of the natural world and particularly the liquid world. To that end, I hope my exploration has yielded a tiny universe of quiet and unending physical and emotional upheaval.