I work primarily from direct observation in my painting process. Absorbing the temperature fluctuations of forms awakened by light fascinates me. My subject acts as a compass, redirecting me when my painting is lost. Each time I revisit a subject it changes, revealing new and different relationships, this is due in part to changes within myself. As my subject changes, I try to express these newly absorbed visual sensations. For me, this way of painting is highly engaging, and often surprising. Just as I feel that I am beginning to understand what I am looking at, it changes, reminding me that I still have more to see and learn. Rainbows of pulsating light are everywhere that I look. I find the activity of light in shadows not to be dull or flat, but instead a gentler chromatic dance in low light.
As the light of the day and weather transition, I move to projects that suit a particular light, or I redraw my paintings to avoid inconsistent color structure. Scrutinizing shapes, I redraw my paintings often, even in more developed stages of the painting. Working with line to describe form allows me to see things differently as I look to find useful information. My paintings often build up slowly and the compositions develops as I spend more time with the work. At the beginning and end of each painting session, I judge my day’s work and often smudge, flatten, scrape, re-ground, and sand away what is unacceptable. Sometimes all that remains is a residual image. This pentimenti serves as an informative and malleable base to work from.
I paint on a variety of surfaces to be surprised and challenged. The surfaces vary in color, texture, and feel. The surfaces and grounds that I choose to work on reference many painters. I experiment with various painting mediums and paint additives to adjust the viscosity, sheen, and texture of the paint film. Some additional tools that I use are rulers, a calculator, rags, and at times the tips of my fingers.
I paint objects, landscapes, and figures. My work draws from elements of my surroundings, from my personal history, and from paintings I admire. I sometimes organize my compositions to subtly reference broader cultural issues. Objects often included in my work include skulls, potted cacti, fruit, foot-lockers, boots, bricks, fabrics and shells.