Finding a new story

My abstract paintings are guided by chance and accidental discovery. They embrace the chaos and regularity, the calm entropy that pushes and pulls the world around us. By methodically layering thick and thin skins of paint, old events are covered up, sometimes rediscovered through transparency or scratch-throughs. In this way, the art builds its own history, allowing the viewers to read into it many stories.

While I avoid direct representation, it is easy to see the landscape in much of my work. The natural world affects much of what I do. I often grab colors, forms and other influences from nature, but the marks I make are more reaction to that than representation. During the mark-making process, I discover unique and appealing aspects of the painting. I liken it to wandering the woods and discovering an interesting pattern in fallen branches or a newly-eroded creek bank, and wanting to share that experience with others. After much layering and editing, the result is a painting that sometimes surprises me in its uniqueness and beauty.