ARTIST STATEMENT

        As an artist, my primary goal is to convey a sense of mood and to elicit an emotion in the viewer.  I am interested in exploring the balance between hope and despair that exists in nature, life and death.  I have an attachment to objects in nature that most would overlook.  The objects that I collect and incorporate into my artwork speak to me in some way and serve as a reminder of my own mortality.  Many of my works are autobiographical narratives and the subjects in my paintings act as metaphors.  My attraction to these objects goes beyond just a visual intrigue; they ignite an emotional response in me as well.  I find it necessary to have an intimate engagement with them and their various tactile qualities, so textures and uniquely prepared surfaces play an important role in my work.  Sometimes the objects themselves are what I use as a substrate for my work.  These materials posses a history and are works of art in their own right.  For me, surfaces such as animal hide, old rusty sheets of metal, and snake skin become the main focus of the piece and what is created on it, becomes secondary.  By using or depicting these objects, I am attempting to pay homage to their existence.  It is important for me to accept the loss and use it to make something beautiful. All living and decaying things are in a constant state of change and while the process of decay may be unsightly, it is also a very beautiful and essential component in the cycle of new life.  I focus on incorporating all of my emotions of sadness, peace, yearning, respect, anguish, wonderment and hope into all of my works.  Nature provides such beauty in life and to not notice its existence is criminal, but it is a greater injustice to not notice its death.