THE BIRD

I have always approached my paintings with confidence. Mark making has always been my strength, particularly in drawing, and I feel this comes through in my gestural use of the paint. I also believe I approach paintings in a trial and error manner, where experimentation has precedence over concept. To remain in the moment and focused on what I am doing at that moment is a fundamental base of both my process and, interestingly what the resulting image translates to the viewer. To know this, and to remain suspended in this moment requires a foundation of trust within my capabilities and myself. Approaching each new surface, I test various methods of applying paint. The successful methods prove to be ones that allow me to continuously build the surface into a coherent image. These methods I choose from, sometimes in sequences, as obstructions, or as starting points. In each painting, I begin differently, even if it is just a different colored ground. I have found the most success in starting with a specific method, one that exists in isolation, as a starting point. I believe that too often, I look for answers outside myself instead of looking within. I do not seek a linear trajectory for painting, and my own work, though ironically specific to its medium, should not be categorized into a neat package. If my brush is an extension of myself, then what I think and feel comes through as my own thoughts and feelings