Artist Statement
Ever enamored of the process of painting, I have continually explored new techniques and different media. In 2003, I had an encounter with the abstracts of Gerhard Richter at a show at the Hirshorn Museum in Washington, DC. As taken as I was with the room of large abstracts, the overwhelming takeaway for me was the realization that I didn’t know exactly how they were accomplished. Clearly paint was being smeared across the surface, but I didn’t know how. What were the tools (there were clearly no brushes involved) and techniques necessary to achieve those striking images? I knew I didn’t know and that bothered me. I returned to the studio determined to figure it out. After lots of experimentation with a variety of tools and through exploring many of the different mediums and paints available in acrylic, I have come to understand how Richter does his abstracts. And in the process, I learned a great deal about paint. Taking that body of knowledge, and applying it consciously, adopting what I’ve learned, a personal style has emerged. The same issues of texture, color, composition and planar space that have long a been part of my work are examined now with a new understanding of the material and the possibilities of application. The evolution continues as my thirst for experimentation seems insatiable.
