Artist's Profile:

My work with encaustic seems like a fusion of many of my past art explorations which included ceramics, papermaking, printmaking, photography and mixed media collage. There is a sensuality of material and a sense of partnership with the medium that is integral to my enjoyment of the process and to the success of any piece. It is tactile, malleable and rich and also allows the delight of using a fragrant byproduct of the interaction of bees with flowers. It feels akin to cooking, creating a surface that often exudes an edible quality. Unpredictable and surprising effects happen frequently and there is a constant interplay between transparency, opacity, layering and subtle dimensionality. By combining drawing and paper with wax the potential of this interplay seems infinitely expanded.

The imagery of the current work is a tableau of complex emotional states and situations. It is influenced by myths, symbols and my current life preoccupations. Some of those preoccupations include volunteer work with a group of 4 year olds and watching how they apprehend the world, the intersections of consciousness and culture, and the state of the natural world. The picture space is typically flat, with color, pattern and symbol-objects predominating. The images constantly evolve in response to the medium. At some point there is always a decision to be made between following a preconceived plan or heeding new information the piece is giving and altering direction. It is this intersection between intent and “listening” that seems to be the ultimate point of the process, and often there is significant change between the original idea and the finished work.

One of my favorite artists is the late Milton Avery who although he painted from life, felt no need to present an objective version of reality on his canvases. His exquisite use of color and abstracted shapes and his relentlessly flat picture space radiate a quiet joy and deep appreciation of the surrounding world and its inhabitants. I am also inspired by Indian miniature painting where ancient stories were depicted in shallow and stylized spaces filled with an abundance of colors, patterns, symbols, animals, demons, gods and royalty. It was a tradition with its own delightful dreamlike logic.

Hopefully, my work, while created to explore my own interests and inner narratives, is broad enough that others are able to draw pleasure and meaning from the images. The world seems to me mysterious, lush and lovely, dangerous, disquieting and complex and we all totter and balance and dance under a strange accretion of emotion and sensation, culture, memories and media. In the making of these objects I endeavor to expose a moment of that mystery and create a sense of both recognition and visual satisfaction.