I am an abstract, geometric, reductive artist who employs synthetic water-based mediums such as silica, urethane, and acrylic resin along with pigments to make my own paint. I layer and crosshatch paint on canvas or linen that is stretched over panel. The canvasses are primed with sanding and wet sanding to achieve an ultra-smooth finish. No spray applications are used to make the work. There is light sanding between each layer of paint and each color has its own contrasting or complimentary under-painting color which changes how light moves through the physical painting.
I have a commitment to paint. Here, I may be considered a painter’s painter, one who obsesses over the material and process. Expression and craft are important to me. Growing up in the art world and being surrounded by art most of my life, I cannot escape the front lines and boundaries that continue to be pushed by artists as well as curators and arts-writers who continue to contextualize the work. I have learned that it is important to act and react as well as follow your personal path made up of your own experiences, thoughts, and sensibilities. This makes the work uniquely my own while being in conversation with today’s visual culture.
I see geometry and color as a language that speaks to a broader audience. Color is a form of light and geometry transcends age, race and language. As an artist, I am able to examine, reinterpret as well as break the rules of familiar colors and forms. In additional to this, I search for nuanced ways to add discord to the process. This keeps the work from being apathetic. It’s a balance between contrived and arbitrary. This is handled through color palette and compositional decisions. The compositions range from poetic to dynamic with abstract clarity being found in some pieces and mystery in others.
The studio practice is essential to living and sustaining a creative life. The studio allows me to tap into my imagination and inventiveness. Delving into abstract work is advantageous for me. I find that it promotes a practice of awareness, noticing, and creating time well spent. I believe that his hands-on tradition is important in our current times of global pandemic, political friction, internet and social media overuse. It is a way to escape the attention economy and promote reflective thinking. I hope that audiences find the work engaging on their own level.