My approach to art making has been consistently experimental, yet I work toward establishing my own coherent and evolving visual language. Initially my formal training was in the discipline of painting, but I encountered difficult themes such as drug addiction, incarceration and mental illness in my immediate family which challenged me to think more critically about the medium for my artistic output. I branched out, committed to working with other nontraditional art materials in the form of collaborative social practice and installation art.
After over a decade exploring the possibilities of interdisciplinary work, I have come full circle back to a full-fledged painting practice. I make imagery that melds visual metaphors and archetypes with an inquiry into painterly abstraction. Some of the imagery emerges from my subconscious and borrows from biographical references; incorporating social themes, found objects and text.
I apply varying degrees of execution across each painting. Some have one singular semi-transparent pass of paint, and other areas are belabored with countless glazes and levels of renegotiation. Each painting is a multi-level puzzle to be solved within its own peculiar logic. They cross-reference and communicate between their separate frames, adjacently validating and contesting each other’s claims. I do not force a conformed sense of style or synthesis between the works, but allow them to speak freely with each other and with the viewer.
I examine and bring together disparate inclinations in myself through the work, while at the same time illuminate the concept and craftsmanship in each piece. My goal is to challenge my own sense of aesthetics by taking risks to bring my sincerest thoughts, feelings and creative instincts into the forms themselves. My motivation is to breathe in and out with the work as it evolves without trying to predetermine the outcome, and to acquire a greater aptitude toward self-knowledge in the process.
