Artist’s Statement

For me, painting comes close to the root meaning of the word “ecstasy”: to stand outside of or transcend oneself. I no longer feel that I am the one “creating” the painting, but the painting is “emerging” from the cradled birch panels on which I work, almost making itself. It’s an experience akin to what writers describe when their characters become so real, they take on a life of their own, decide what they are going to say and do.

During these moments of intense creativity, only the painting and I as the artist exist—all else fades into the background. I coax the images to appear and evolve on the panels, using palette knives, squeegees, even my hands to summon them. Oil and cold wax are the perfect medium, allowing me the freedom to use intuition with layers of color and texture, and shape providing the matrix for each piece.