I am inspired by objects that seem simultaneously natural and alien within their environments. Although diverse, ranging from decorative to destructive, these objects tend to have complex internal structures that both differ from and depend on their surroundings. For example, mistletoe and nests merge with their host trees while also making a condensed economical form, while fires are partly shaped by the things they consume. Topiaries and dioramas impose order and aesthetic intelligence on their raw materials, rendering them tenuous representations of the natural world.
My studio process starts with models made out of craft materials. I take care to follow structural impulses suggested by those materials, while also keeping in mind what languages of painting will resonate with the textures of the source object. I draw from both surrealism and photorealism when composing the painting, using dramatic lighting and scale juxtapositions to bring the images beyond conventions of still life. Borrowing forms or stylizations from other images, such as the tumbled, blocky forests of Georges Braque and Susanne Kuhn, brings my simulated objects into another alien environment, and the clash of structures is the locus of my real passion as a painter.
Often exploring cubist and post-impressionist mark-making, I let the image develop slowly through a layering of shapes and gestures. The weaving and building of the painting’s surface become almost an architectural experience. My hope is that my paintings become peculiar, intense objects built from everyday forms brought into unusual focus.
