Description

Structure / Chaos: So much pleasure comes from investigating the geometry of the world, both man-made and natural, and especially when the two collide. There is the structure with hard edges and lines juxtaposed against the chaos of nature. Initially in the work, I'm reacting to the place and the experience, then there's a shift to a reaction to the photo and memory of the place. Once the image is collaged onto the canvas, there's yet another layer that's a culmination of all of these steps in the process. Finally, I'm responding only to what's on the canvas and what I've internalized. My work is an integration of experiences and experimentation with different materials and techniques, such as painting, collage, printmaking, encaustics and drawing. Every piece builds on what has happened prior to the piece before it—what was learned and what was discovered. I want the way in which the materials are applied, scraped and torn away to be a reflection of the subject matter—like an archeological artifact that has many layers of history and memories. Allowing materials to be revealed in pieces or layering marks and materials creates a sense of a build up and break down, again mimicking layers of time and history. I've always been drawn to unconventional beauty but I think these images in particular become a subtle commentary about how Seattle is in a state of flux—for better or worse. Many of the boarded up buildings and houses I captured have already been demolished and replaced with condos, slick, multi-use facilities in order to create urban density. I wonder if what is being lost is greater than what is being built. Like many, I'm left with a strong sense of nostalgia for the places and images-like postcards, but not the picturesque scene you'd expect-the color draws the viewer in and then there's surprise or perhaps disappointment upon closer inspection or maybe even a moment of recognition. Artists are a barometer of civilization; we're therefore also documentarians-dictating observations about the churning of society and the changes that are a result of that fermentation, agitation and upheaval.