I transform botanical and organic subject matter into abstract images in an expressive and painterly style. My style embodies the expressive and abstract in relation to composition and rendering. I strive to transcend the obvious by emphasizing the unique elements that define my subject, which translates into a micro/macro view of my subject. Apparent in my work are line, movement and a unique color palette.
My approach to drawing and painting reveals my emotional response to my subject. I visualize basic forms, values, patterns and individual elements that make my particular subject unique. My images of flowers, leaves, petals, buds and stamens then become a departure from ‘realistic’ representation and emerge as an abstraction.
My work incorporates conceptual elements such as the breakdown of my subject into parts, the use of diptychs and multi-tychs, or enlarging a significant part of my subject to exaggerate important characteristics. Within these forms I search for the microcosm world of pattern, value, color.
For example, I may take a tulip, separate the petals, stamens and leaves, and illustrate these parts only. I may take parts of a Paperwhite and create various abstract compositions emphasizing form and color, resulting in a diptych or multi-tych format. Also, a single Rose petal may become the subject itself, filling the entire picture plane as a way of monumentalizing its individuality. My fascination with these details developed through my study of Biological Illustration.
Rendering my ideas through drawing or painting is a meditative and spiritual experience. If I can visualize my drawing or painting in my mind, it most often results in a finished piece. Intuition combined with knowledge of the formal elements of design and technique, guide my creative process. Additionally, viewing historical as well as current art challenges me to grow in my work.
The American Modern Movement that began around 1905, and the Stieglitz circle of artists, such as Georgia O’Keefe, Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove and Imogene Cunningham influence me. Expressionism is also an influence with a particular interest in Pat Steir, Jennifer Bartlett, and Jim Dine.
BIO:
I come from a background of excellent art training in my high school in Evanston, Illinois, (Chicago); classes at and many visits to the Art Institute of Chicago; a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from Southern Oregon University in Ashland; and 4 years of museum cataloging and exhibit installation at the Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland.
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