ARTIST STATEMENT

Red rocks reaching toward a cloudless sky, a blue ladder leaning against a pink adobe wall, the tattoo of a cat on a woman’s arm – each has inspired paintings or prints I’ve made. I’m drawn to the colors of the American Southwest and the open expanses of the Plains states. I portray people and places in ways that suggest a story. Experimenting with color and abstracting shapes allow me to portray my perceptions, and while that specific vision may be distinct, I hope to connect with the viewer on a journey to explore essential and universal ideas about place and identity.

I paint primarily with oils. I appreciate the rich colors and depth they offer. My paintings are high-contrast, color-saturated with a combination of hard and soft edges. They are based in reality and then simplified with the goal of expressing the subject’s essence.

Printmaking allows me to create multiple handcrafted images. I make prints using wood blocks. Carving the wood provides challenges to convey the image while working with the wood’s grain and texture. There are surprises at every stage of the process, from mixing the inks to choosing the paper, to pulling each print off the block. And while depicting the same subject matter, each print in an edition has its distinct characteristics.