I am concerned about the fragmentation of our communities, both locally and on a global scale. Today we seem to live widely separated lives, immune from feeling obligated to meet and acknowledge one another’s humanity. This crisis of separation, and the inhumanity of distancing from one another is confronted in my artwork. 

My compositions are full of imperfections: angles which are not square, lines which are not level, patterns which are not rigid, brushstrokes which are not uniform, colors which are not constant. A reminder that we humans are thankfully also not exact or rigid or in any way perfect, but lovely and humble in our many errors, stumblings, and flaws. 

This is reflected in my paintings, which are composed to impress visual elements against the absolute boundaries of edges such as the edges of the composition or the paper itself. Because such edges or boundaries are firm and absolute, the subjects are pushed away, or deflected. The subjects are soft, malleable, and beautiful, such as flowers. They are molded rather than destroyed by such arbitrary, intransigent boundaries. Despite the odd settings they find themselves in, the subjects retain their inner beauty and identity. 

Overlapping secondary elements (e.g. hair, texture, or blossoms), filter the view of the primary subject, such as a kitten or a face. Such filtering by secondary elements changes the outlook of the subject, and visually screens the subject from the churning, overwhelming world. 

An antidote to our present loud, chaotic world, my gouache paintings and mixed media compositions on paper are small in size, utilize a limited palette of strong colors, and are calm in affect. 

I hope they bring you quiet refreshment.