My work presents an exploration into the power and resonance of abstract, elemental form. I am inspired by traditions that have throughout time utilized archetypal signs and symbol systems to share information and archive significant experiences. Examples include cave paintings, petroglyphs, Indian tantric motifs and Aboriginal art. These patterns and configurations, often described as “roadmaps to the human psyche”, ritualize human experience and resonate as primal reminders of the human need to communicate and create connection.
I begin my two-dimensional pieces by covering paper or wood panel with scraps of newsprint and layers of paint. Next, I sketch circles, lines and other geometric forms onto the surface. As elements intersect and overlap, new shapes emerge. I tease them to the surface and give them room to breathe. Relationships emerge and color is added, as many of the original marks disappear. My ceramic wall sculptures are carved from slabs of clay. Each piece is kiln-fired and hand painted, with surface designs that echo elements found in my two-dimensional work.
Completing every composition, whether in clay, on paper or wood panel, is a contemplative process. The finished pieces offer dynamic expressions of abstract elemental form that have no exact translation but which can be interpreted differently by each individual based upon past experience and personal association. It is my hope that the work will draw viewers in, offering an opportunity to step back from the routine events of the day. Like listening to music or hearing a shared story, the work encourages a contemplative experience that may be at once peaceful, playful and uplifting.
Bio
I received my MFA in ceramics from the California College of the Arts where I studied with Viola Frey. I went on to explore cast bronze. I now work with acrylics and combined materials on paper or wood panel, as well as in clay.
I begin my two-dimensional pieces by covering paper or wood panel with scraps of newsprint and layers of paint. Next, I sketch circles, lines and other geometric forms onto the surface. As elements intersect and overlap, new shapes emerge. I tease them to the surface and give them room to breathe. Relationships emerge and color is added, as many of the original marks disappear. My ceramic wall sculptures are carved from slabs of clay. Each piece is kiln-fired and hand painted, with surface designs that echo elements found in my two-dimensional work.
Completing every composition, whether in clay, on paper or wood panel, is a contemplative process. The finished pieces offer dynamic expressions of abstract elemental form that have no exact translation but which can be interpreted differently by each individual based upon past experience and personal association. It is my hope that the work will draw viewers in, offering an opportunity to step back from the routine events of the day. Like listening to music or hearing a shared story, the work encourages a contemplative experience that may be at once peaceful, playful and uplifting.
Bio
I received my MFA in ceramics from the California College of the Arts where I studied with Viola Frey. I went on to explore cast bronze. I now work with acrylics and combined materials on paper or wood panel, as well as in clay.
