|
My work is based in the observation of details of both material and psychology. I have long been an observer, constantly curious about things around me, reacting in either visual or written terms. My skill of observation and appreciation of detail was honed in the early stages of my career when I worked as a fiber artists and textile designer. That history remains in the pattern work that exists as shallow stages on which the iconic figures stand. Tethered to the pattern work is the psychology of each figure. It is my intention that the paintings foster a presence that will evoke a relationship in which the viewer is invited to associate with the psychology of the person. Is the viewer compelled to know this person or are they moved to dissociate from the confrontation of the direct gaze? As the figure and universally symbolic pattern work meld, the suggestion of icon is evident and I encourage that further by using gold leaf. Architectural plans taken from buildings of either religious or secular significance throughout Europe create the stages in some of the work to further evoke a curious grand demeanor for these quietly blunt characters.
My meditative landscapes also reflect the practice of quiet observation. The surfaces are covered in passages from my writing, simple notations about day-to-day experiences. I then selectively gold leaf certain phrases and, as a method of meditation, allow the words to create places. Like the figurative work I invite the viewer to carry across the surface and discover the details. Like the figurative work, I ask the viewer to notice the disparate elements that create the whole. The skies in some of the pieces can be as discomforting as the confrontational stares of the figures or they may be read in a comforting manner, as the calm after the storm. I like creating curiosity when certain relationships in the works seem illogical or perplexing. Yet, somehow, by way of looking, there does exist a common language to us all.
It is my intention that the work be a narrative journey where we revel in the similar ground of our very human experiences through quiet observation. I hope you enjoy my work.
|
