“I wanted to take my somewhat textural painting to a new level. These pieces are much like the landscape paintings of previous works but are much more three-dimensional. I am attempting to make my newest work more like sculpture and hope the work encourages the viewer to move from left to right or vice versa to see the changes that occur in the shape and color from the different perspectives.”
SPACE WORKS
“Black backgrounds are very seductive and moody. Having said that, I consider these paintings my fun work. To me the content is optimistic and promising – a new world – a new beginning – birth in the galaxies – this is not dark work.”
FIBER WORKS
This series first came about as a result of rather primitive experimentation with cloth, metal, string, wire, paper, various glues and other materials that just happen to be lying around the studio, and the desire to create work that didn’t conform to the standard format of my two dimensional paintings. Having some background in fashion design and a real love of African art, I was inspired to make work that has a garment or vestment like character with historical references: therefore, missing edges, uneven boundaries, and segmented compositions.”
SHAPES
“When I returned to painting after being involved with design and building residences for some years, I had to try to pick up where I left off with my work in Chicago. I think this series represents a strong affinity for both architecture and graphic design, which are a big part of my past experience. This was the starting point from which all my subsequent work evolved. Color intensity and contrast has always been important to me so it was natural for me to make paintings demonstrating my strong feeling about color and it’s relationships.”
Fields
“Most of these paintings, like so many of those in other series, are about assorted types of earth and seascapes. The predominate methods used to make this work are similar to ones in the action series, but a more controlled and subtle relation to the marks on the canvas of many of these works can be seen. Using smaller amounts of paint applied layer after layer almost like air brushing help create an array of many different colors which define the composition.”
COLOR SCAPES
“These paintings are about color over color. Every line and every dot is applied with palette knives and dowels so that there is purpose in the execution of the work. As the paint builds up a bumping occurs that becomes more and more exaggerated as the work progresses resulting in the addition of texture and depth to the surface of these pieces.”
COLOR PLAY
“Much of this work evolved from my desire to depart from my normal approach to making art. Many of the smaller collage-like pieces, particularly the “Fresh Paint” piece, were constructed from paint sheets that were taken off the plastic sheeting protecting the walls of my studio. After months and months of throwing paint at canvas, the left over “after spray” was thick enough to be used as the material for much of this work.”
ACTION WORKS
“First, layers of color are applied using an assortment of tools. Once a composition starts to reveal itself, multiple layers are added and after the paint begins to set, I carve lines and shapes into the paintings. The surfaces of this work have a heavy impasto feeling. Another technique was to actually throw paint against the work after the background was executed. When paint is thrown with force its flight is recorded when the paint hits the canvas. I like to stress that there is no dripping in this process, but a very aggressive series of movements that are used to achieve the action.”