IMAGES | STATEMENT | RESUME

Transposition 2013

This year I am reading works by C. S. Lewis. He entitles one of his most intriguing metaphysical concepts, "Transposition". It occurs whenever a higher form is reproduced into a lower form. A familiar example takes place in the process of painting a landscape. The higher form, the original three dimensional landscape, is reproduced or "transposed" into a lower form, a two dimensional flat sheet of paper or canvas. The concept becomes even more fascinating when Lewis takes the additional step of transposing abstract ideas (the higher form) into concrete everyday realities (the lower form). This is what mythology, fairy tales and folklore stories do. High ideals such as honor and loyalty, universal truths, morals, and first principles are transposed into narratives about particular people and things in interesting places and situations. Lewis writes, "In the enjoyment of a great myth we come nearest to experiencing as a concrete what can otherwise be understood only as an abstraction." The natural world is full of transpositions of universal principles. This group of paintings explores the concept of "Transposition".

Patternmaker 2009

My Paintings are simply about making patterns, arranging form, and positioning elements to express emotion. I choose the landscape genre because historically it offers a workable pretext to convey human experience allegorically. Treescapes in particular lend themselves to such a reading. The vertical tree and standing figure analogy provides a subtle opportunity to communicate how we feel.

I do not intend my landscapes to reference actual geographical locations; but instead, I want them to evoke a different reality - our emotional responses. To do this I sometimes blur the boundaries between traditional representational landscape and symbolic abstraction.

Making art is all about recognizing and expressing particular sensibilities. I think this is beautifully explained in Agnes Martin's writings. "You must find your way. You must discover the artwork that you like and realize the response that you make to it." The elements and materials in my paintings are chosen with her advice in mind. I am continually developing an awareness of what I love and respond to. Presently, in my work, I am seeking to reconcile two loves - paint and cloth.

The paintings are sometimes composed of deconstructed and recycled clothing. The cloth and threads are pieced together into new patterns. I love the stitches , stains, and holes that remain in the cloth. I admire the beautiful patina that comes with age. I respect and appreciate the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. It teaches that beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness. As I work on a piece, it changes with each additional layer. I "worry" the cloth, fray the threads, cut and sew the edges, and add pieces to the borders. And finally, I embed the cloth and threads in wax as a method of preserving and metaphorically a way of remembering.