I approach a blank surface with little or no plan. Sometimes I jump off from a sketch, but the finished painting seems always to be completely different. I find the process of growing a painting out of nothingness to be authentic, scary and exhilarating. Sometimes recognizable images or associations emerge. Usually I let them be, because I often find there is a reason for them.
I’ve abandoned the illusion of reality for the interaction of blocks of color as my spatial and expressive means. I strive for equilibrium between the parts and the whole, a balanced, unified composition. My edges are hard because I want to explore fully the power of contour. I avoid using rulers or tape because I want to retain the imperfection that results from a free hand. The movement of imperfection is the painting’s breath, like the subtle rising and falling of the chest.
I don’t want my paintings to narrate or describe, but to be launched into motion by color and compositional tension. The contradiction of using static, hard edge instead of spontaneous gesture to achieve motion is potent and satisfying to me.
Statement
