Artist Statement
As an artist I'm focused on contemporary history as spectacle that is continuously narrated to us.
Because I've lived my life largely in exile and always on the move, I find the most inspiration travelling to where significant events are happening and bearing firsthand witness. But rather than direct representation of the chaos that one would normally find in those sometimes terrifying situations (war, conflict, natural disaster, human exploitation), I seek to capture the quieter, gentle stolen moments that are pure and singular, disquieting yet serene snapshots of our civilization that can be tracked, remembered and experienced.
I attempt to create a way to experience the temporary and fleeting more continuously, more carefully, holding a steady mirror in which the current political economy - its hidden violence and undeniable beauty - is simultaneously reflected.
A dreamlike sense of evocation is crucial to my work, as I trust the viewer's sense and sensibilities enough to allow them space in creating their own narratives and context. Ultimately the works themselves aren't about anything in particular and certainly don't tell a story - so they must work on another level to succeed. That level is dialectic because I both want to clarify and deepen human vision.
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When I'm working well, I ride waves of instinct that enable me to make something that changes perception and renews the spirit. The paintings are my sensations, my thoughts, my life, manifested with intensities; they are me attempting to communicate profoundly to the unconscious. That synergy between artist and viewer unlock the valves of intuition and perception about the human situation at a deeper level. And so both making and viewing painting is an act of faith and transgression...an alternative to the commonplace quicktime consciousness we're encouraged to live now.
"Place" in my paintings is both a part of my experience and a collective unconscious - as are the bodies. For me, the body is so important because I very much insist that as human beings we must contemplate the mystery of our existence, particularly our corporeal selves, in order to transcend.
My faith and devotion is in the transformative power of art.
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