Artist Statement

Color, color, color! My work contains a strong graphic element and a sophisticated sense of design, but to me color trumps all other aesthetic considerations.

I am a printmaker and painter, and my preferred medium is monotype, which is a one-of-a-kind painting printed on paper. This is the most direct form of printmaking - requiring only pigments, a surface on which to apply them, paper and some form of press.

As a child of the 1960’s, music is a major influence on my work. The beat, pace, rhythm and lyrics of the music I listen to affect my output. My working practice unfolds in a specific tempo depending on my medium and environment. In my studio, my painting process is slow and considered. I arrange, stand back and reflect, re-arrange, stop to deliberate, re-arrange, alter the composition, change the shape structures, re-balance the elements, ponder the composition, modify the colors, re-arrange, and so on until slowly a painting emerges over a length of time. The opposite happens when I print in the printshop. My productivity becomes focused by the built-in limitation of time and the collaborative nature of working with a master printer. I give myself over to the spontaneity and immediacy of the printmaking process. I filter, edit, mix colors, improvise, and generate ideas with quick decisiveness. The combination of these two practices allows me to fully work out my artistic ideas.

As I approach a project, I give myself challenges to resolve in each piece. For example I’ll set out to only use three colors, or four shapes. Doing so provides boundaries to which to adhere and proves liberating. When a topic interests me, I want to learn all about it. I find that working in a series allows me to immerse myself in the nuances and breadth of a particular subject. I am inspired by literature, world events, music, and nature. My past series have included The Jungle Book, Hurricane Katrina, The Gulf Oil Spill, Birds, Flowers, Animals, Music.

I am an abstract artist; amorphous shapes and saturated colors are what flow through my brush. My titles remain ambiguous, so that viewers bring their own interpretation and perspective to what they see. Through the work, I hope they encounter the joy I brought to its creation.