One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~ William Shakespeare
Plants inspire me to explore and record my kinship with nature. Vibrant colors, dynamic lines and soft shadows provide a wild braid of inspiration. The blend of aromas and textures engage my senses. Through the seasons plants serve the cycles of growth, death and regeneration. I witness their evolution from seed to plant to fruit or flower and back to seed with quiet symmetry and grace. I find respite and purpose in this reverent flow of life. Plants wrap me in a deeper reality. It is from this place that I paint.
I create abstract paintings using natural materials: dammar resin, beeswax and pigments. This ancient recipe, also known as encaustic, has been used for thousands of years. Renowned for luminosity and depth, encaustic also produces little waste as the wax is reused. Thus, my paintings share a common DNA like seeds borne from a mother plant.
I keep my own bees, harvest my own wax and render my own honey. I find a satisfying unity between the plants that inspire me, the bees that pollinate them and the beeswax in my medium.
Lines are essential to my work as I use them to create a path, set a boundary or connect forms together. Each painting begins as a blind contour drawing. I simplify or enhance plant parts, focusing on delicate veins, jagged leaves or sinuous vines, honing in on impression and mood. Onto this foundation, I add shape, infuse color and build surface until a luminous harmony is achieved. Hot layers of wax are quickly applied by brush and a blowtorch is used to move forms and soften edges while in a liquid state. My chief aim is abstraction so the essence of my subject lingers.
For the last four years I have found my muse exclusively in plants. Now, elements that influence plant life are emerging in my work such as soil, water, wind and pollen. I seek inspiration, materials and methods that bind me to the plant world. My intent is to capture the beauty and essence of plants, circling back to the theme of kinship.
