Being conscious of the tension created by figure-ground relationships, I transcend marks in both painting and drawing. I search through the mystical and spiritual experiences that constantly affect my continued commitment to the process of painting. Boundaries are pushed to pierce the veil of light on the surface where I create a mystical illusion of space. I explore the qualities of inner luminosity in the image, continuing to push the physical artwork beyond the realm of the now.
Artists have traditionally been marking makers since the beginning of time. My drawings are about the movement of color, line, the illusion of space, and the resolution of issues of space and classic figure- round relationships. I try to transcend the mark but I am conscious of the tension created by figure-ground relationships. I have always had an affinity for paper. Surface and textural qualities of paper offer a meditative experience. In my drawings, ink, oil stick, and graphite utilized singularly or in a mixed-media format where the media are applied to paper directly, spontaneously, and intuitively.
The drawing marks are influenced by Japanese calligraphy, which I was introduced to in the late1960’s while in Kyoto, Japan. With the marks being direct, spontaneous, and intuitive, the gesture I use is free and easy, with composition balanced and ever mindful of space, light, and shadow. These marks transcend their traditional use; often gaining a figurative quality that creates a bold, dynamic interplay either when viewed individually or in an installation format. In terms of the 2015 installation format of the Wabi-Sabi Tango series, I continue to explore and search for resolution of issues of space and classic figure-ground relationships. By using the installation format, symbiotic, lyrical dialogue between each component occurs. Each mark can be studied by the viewer individually or as a total installation with multiple drawings making the whole. The intuitive, abstract marks appear three-dimensional, drawing the viewer into the installation more as a participant than an observer. With the gesture of the marks existing free and easy individually, I unify the composition of the installation using patterns and textures, which create a lyrical dialogue between each component. The observer can read the symbolism of each mark or the total installation in diverse formats. It is the clarity and boldness of the mark that enables the viewer of this vision.
Naissance, the entitled 2014 series of paintings incorporate graphite elements drawn into acrylic on Mylar that goes beyond traditional boundaries. The development of the images is intuitive using gestures with raw energy, balanced by mindfulness of space, light, and color. I carry on with the exploration of the mystical and spiritual experiences that affect my painting process. The recent Mambo and Rumba series’ deal with large scale mixed media drawings on paper. These works further investigate the visual illusion of three-dimensional space. Sumi-e, sepia, and colored ink grounds interact with washes, water-soluble graphite, and oil stick which reference the figure.
In a natural progression bringing two-dimensional marks into three-dimensional physical reality, I am currently making sculptures based on the Mambo and Rumba series’ of drawings. The sculptural formats take my investigation of shape and space beyond the illusionary format of traditional drawing, allowing the marks to exist as their own identity; existing physically in space. The drawings now become larger-than-life linear, organic, abstracted figurative sculptures of welded steel---drawings in space, drawings in steel.
