Artist's Statement
As humans, we tend to think of ourselves as fundamentally different from other components of our vast and ancient universe. Yet the truth is that we are made up of recycled cosmic dust. Our flesh and blood contains the very same elements forged deep inside long-gone stars, which were blown to earth when those stars exploded. Old atoms never really die—they simply get reused in all forms of life, moving along through the ages into today.
In the second half of my own life, I have become increasingly and more immediately aware of my personal connection to the materials of the earth, to other living things, and to the ancient ones who have gone before me. It is this thread of connection that inspire the visual decisions I make in my art.
Painting with encaustics helps me to more accurately represent the mystery involved in this quest. The physical properties of this medium mirror the complexities of our interconnectedness. The process involves layering and scraping back, hiding and revealing. The beeswax is soft, fragrant, and forgiving, yet it hardens over time. It captures gritty materials like dry pigments, graphite, and gold leaf in an ethereal, skin-like sheath. The use of heat and fire as fusing agents adds an element of unpredictability. The finished product has the look and feel of an archeological finding. On a good day, I am able to get myself out of the way enough to allow this medium to speak.
I paint to explore that mystical place where structure and spontaneity collide, where the art is guided by my hand but not controlled by my will. In that place, time falls away, and physicality fades. In that place, I feel profoundly connected.
In the second half of my own life, I have become increasingly and more immediately aware of my personal connection to the materials of the earth, to other living things, and to the ancient ones who have gone before me. It is this thread of connection that inspire the visual decisions I make in my art.
Painting with encaustics helps me to more accurately represent the mystery involved in this quest. The physical properties of this medium mirror the complexities of our interconnectedness. The process involves layering and scraping back, hiding and revealing. The beeswax is soft, fragrant, and forgiving, yet it hardens over time. It captures gritty materials like dry pigments, graphite, and gold leaf in an ethereal, skin-like sheath. The use of heat and fire as fusing agents adds an element of unpredictability. The finished product has the look and feel of an archeological finding. On a good day, I am able to get myself out of the way enough to allow this medium to speak.
I paint to explore that mystical place where structure and spontaneity collide, where the art is guided by my hand but not controlled by my will. In that place, time falls away, and physicality fades. In that place, I feel profoundly connected.