I have always been fascinated with the constructed world, our cities, buildings, monuments, and public spaces. These objects, places, or environments are often viewed as passive or static backdrops to our daily life. We move through them or around them, but don’t always realize the impact or influence they might exert on us as humans. They live in their own way, with a history, personality, and purpose.
My painting is rooted in my architecture background and is a process of trying to understand specific locations and their connection to the individual through the act of diagramming. The painting evolves as part of this iterative process. It starts with personal photographs that are digitally edited down to reveal the structurally or visually significant features of a building or place. I then incorporate fragments of relevant historical maps, books, or travel guides. From those base pieces, I begin to draw lines and shapes in pencil that become the underpinning for the rest of the painting. Thin layers of transparent paint are applied to represent the feelings and emotions of how I personally experienced that space. The colors and forms strive to create a sense of movement and destabilize the viewer. As a whole, the object begins to move, shift, and push, while the observer now remains stationary.
A central tenet of my work is that art should make a positive difference in your local community. To that end, I donate a portion of the proceeds from each sold work to a charitable organization. Current donations are being made to the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
