Statement

Life is layered, rich and messy. Like art, it’s often the textured, irregular bits that are most interesting. We live in relationship not only with those around us, but also to the natural world and our human invention. It’s within these relationships that we have our being and find connection. And yet it’s the glimpses, moments and melodies of life that creep into the crevices of our being to create our life narrative. Art is a response and a revelation, giving flight to what is knit in the depths of experience and exposing it to the light.

I’m drawn to natural elements both materially and experientially. Beeswax, in particular, fascinates me. I use it not only as a resist, but also as a binder. I use it cold and hot, unadorned, and laden with pigment, rust, gold, seeds, sand, charcoal, patina, glass and tea leaves. It acts as a base, but also as a protective layer. I fire and fuse, add and scrape back, each layer a revelation and an elusive cover. It’s an ebb and flow of marks and images that create a unique sense of ethereal depth, meaning and history. At times I delve into 40 years of trusty Nikon images to frame a sense of time, space and place in my paintings and printmakings. Collectively, my work is woven together with the red thread of hope.