I am drawn to the lushness of oil paint. Experimenting with the materiality of paint has allowed the textural surface of the canvas to range from an opaque glaze, to a thick, waxy plane that creates a rich, topographical landscape across the composition. As my work is largely influenced by abstract expressionism, the raw impulsive brush strokes are an essential element in the creation of these pieces. All initial choices regarding composition, color, and textural elements are prompted on a reactive basis, allowing the painting to compose itself. From that point, decisions regarding mark, line, and color shifts are carefully planned to generate heightened contrast, and allow forms to place each other into different planar layers. The graphite lines, which intertwine throughout the pieces, both direct the visual attention, and transform the organic masses into a more architectural structure.

 

A finished painting is the result of multiple layers of texture and devised color interactions that have been transformed, stripped, reintroduced and shifted into a spatial mass through the guidance of these crucial linear elements. Ultimately, the process of making is what I am drawn to--Discovering new ways to approach each piece, while finding the beauty in instinct and process. These moments of uncertainty are opportunities to advance the complexity of each piece.