I am always fascinated by historical places and monuments I have seen around the world during my travels and work. I have always been curious to learn about the cultures surrounding such places and the unspoken stories told through walls decayed or beaten up through weathering over time. The transformation of decay and the destruction of surfaces over the centuries inspired me to express my emotional response to them through my paintings. By doing so, I intend to connect with and elicit deep personal feelings from the viewer while also creating a sense of curiosity.
Using oil paint and cold wax with mixed media, I selectively reduce the surface of my painting to reveal hidden layers to evoke a sense of fragility, depth, and history. I then undergo a challenging dialogue with my own work, creating and destroying additional layers during the process to quiet down some loud impressions and the noise of the painting until the work reaches the emotional expression I am seeking.
By the time the painting is complete, I feel that I have transformed my energies into those layers. Whether they are revealing or effectively hidden, they have stories to tell.