Shimmers of gold move through paintings where contemporary polymer paint and synthetic paper meet traditional composition metal leaf. Fragments of color, gestural movement and organic forms animate works ranging from openness to abundance.
At one end, a limited palette of paint is allowed to pool, stain and marble across the non-absorbent synthetic paper. It is then cut into fragments and brought into new relationships; shapes, lines and intervals interact with luminous gold. Open space becomes an active part of the composition.
At the other end, color, collaged fragments, bloom-like clusters and passages of gold intermingle, making you question where one ends and another begins. I chose copper-zinc composition leaf for its resilience under manipulation; paint, paper and gold are layered, scraped, sanded and tended until energy swirls into lavish abundance.
Across both, beauty is found in relationship—each part remaining distinct while contributing to the fullness of the whole.
As the work took shape, I encountered the Greek term poikilia, meaning “fascinating variety.” In The Republic, Plato warned against its sensuous pleasures; centuries later, that sensory power was embraced in Byzantine art and sacred expression. In poikilia, I found a name for what I was discovering in making the paintings.
