Current Artist Statement
My work is realistic abstract. I enjoy the excitement of pouring paint on canvas or paper and using whatever is at hand to produce wonderful textures and forms. I use any medium necessary to get the desired result: plastic wrap, tissues, sand, glass, oil paint, acrylics, charcoal, and ink. I even use natural items like ferns, leaves, tree bark, or grass. I never know what I will end up with; I let the paint guide me. In fact, I find that if I try to control the piece, I am usually disappointed. I like to work fast; it keeps me from over-thinking things. Once I start mentally dissecting a piece, the spontaneity and energy is gone and I become frustrated. I love the beautiful surprises that can emerge in a piece when I am willing to let go a bit.
I am deeply influenced by my surroundings. I am an upstate artist of South Carolina, so the mountains and scenes of the Piedmont are a tremendous influence. I also love the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia. Everywhere I go, I view the environment through an artistic perspective and try to see things in a different way. I notice colors, contrasts, angles, and light, which all serve as inspiration for my paintings. My natural tendency is to see things others may miss, to discover unconventional possibilities in the conventional.
My work is realistic abstract. I enjoy the excitement of pouring paint on canvas or paper and using whatever is at hand to produce wonderful textures and forms. I use any medium necessary to get the desired result: plastic wrap, tissues, sand, glass, oil paint, acrylics, charcoal, and ink. I even use natural items like ferns, leaves, tree bark, or grass. I never know what I will end up with; I let the paint guide me. In fact, I find that if I try to control the piece, I am usually disappointed. I like to work fast; it keeps me from over-thinking things. Once I start mentally dissecting a piece, the spontaneity and energy is gone and I become frustrated. I love the beautiful surprises that can emerge in a piece when I am willing to let go a bit.
I am deeply influenced by my surroundings. I am an upstate artist of South Carolina, so the mountains and scenes of the Piedmont are a tremendous influence. I also love the coasts of the Carolinas and Georgia. Everywhere I go, I view the environment through an artistic perspective and try to see things in a different way. I notice colors, contrasts, angles, and light, which all serve as inspiration for my paintings. My natural tendency is to see things others may miss, to discover unconventional possibilities in the conventional.
