ARTIST'S STATEMENT

My background in design helps to inform all of my work. The principles of design (balance, unity, harmony, contrast, emphasis, scale, and rhythm) and elements of design (point, line, plane, texture, and color) combine together to give my art substance.

 

My canvases and panels blend contemporary design with vinegar paint, a late 18th century, American technique of combining artists’ pigments and apple cider vinegar with dish soap or sugar. I discovered this form of painting when studying decorative finishes, and it took hold of my imagination.

 

Vinegar paint provides a phenomenal degree of detail and precision. Intricate, sharp lines and patterns pop from the pigment, creating the optical illusion of depth. These patterns maintain a curious originality that is deepened by texture and the illusions of movement through out my art. These thoughtful juxtapositions work symbiotically to create a peaceful complexity. I pull from the macro view of the cosmos to the microbiology imagery in nature.

 

My work almost always starts from the smallest element to the largest. I’m passionate about the way this process allows the work to unfold as a meditation; shapes first emerge from a colored pencil sketch then continue to evolve through this exploratory paint process. As the vinegar dries the only thing left on the panels is the pigment. There is no suspension matter to interfere with the pigment. There is nothing between the viewer, the textures and the colors. The final works, with their intricate detail, organic or geometric shapes, and rich tones, recall life’s impressions, experiences, and relationships. My most recent panels have been a conscious connectedness to the spiritual process of meditation and the creation of art.

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