My conceptually and historically grounded engagement in painting
is a through-line in my painting practice. I am invested in both
representation and abstraction, and interested in ways that each
approach generates the other within my work. In my representational
works, I paint theatrical subjects including improvised architecture
and operatic scenes. By removing the context of the imagery and
applying a collage-like approach to reimagining the original subject,
I metaphorically engage ideas of desire and explore the mythic
capacity of ephemeral moments.
In my abstract works, I utilize moments within these same subjects
as points of formal departure, testing the ability for isolated gestures
and graphic elements to carry similar meaning to their representational
counterparts. Here, I often get off of the stretcher, employing a doubling
of painting as artifact or installation. In all of my works, I utilize painting's
built-in vocabulary of mark making, composition, and color to affect
ideas of potential and create symbolic potency.