I make mixed media acrylic paintings on wood. Colorful, narrative, a bit naive and always off-beat, they usually depict scenes of animals, figures, or odd creatures that inhabit a unique world. Each painting starts with unfettered play and exploration, with no idea where I’m headed.
By layering paint, collage and various media, a story begins to take shape. I stay attuned to random marks that might lead to my next move, as if a muse is guiding me. A small white smear may hint at an eye, which then reveals a potential bird or animal, waiting to take form.
Working on wood allows me to build up textures by scraping, carving, and sanding back previous layers to reveal hidden gems. Each painting presents a challenging puzzle to find the right shapes, values and colors to achieve a satisfying design. There’s often a patchwork, quilt-like quality to the way all of the elements ultimately stitch together.
I revel in the unexpected, the manifestation of my unconscious at work, and the act of creating something that didn’t exist before. I hope to infuse each picture with equal parts humor, mystery, and joy.
