~ Artwork ~ > Leaves rustle | 2021 - current

This Place
acrylic on wood
h 20" x 23"
2023
Journey
acrylic on wood
h 26.5" x w 24"
2023
Passing Through
40" x 23.5"
2022
What's Left
acrylic on wood
h 31" x w 33"
2023
What's Left (detail)
acrylic on wood
h 31" x w 33"
2022
Untitled
acrylic on wood
6" x 7"
2022
Monkey
acrylic on wood
10" x 11"
2022
Cycle
acrylic on wood
46" x 22"
2022
Cycle (detail)
acrylic on wood
46" x 22"
2022
Untitled
acrylic on wood
25" x 14"
2022
Rorschach
acrylic on wood
25" x 29"
2022
Sampling
acrylic on wood
h 12" x w 32"
2022
Sampling (detail)
acrylic on wood
h 12" x w 32"
2022
Small Void
acrylic on wood
h 13.1/4" x w 10 3/4"
2022
Small Void
acrylic on wood
h 13.1/4" x w 10 3/4"
2022
Like a snail but much much smaller
acrylic on wood
22.5" x 10.5"
2022
Just Outside a Cave
acrylic on wood
47" x23.5"
2022
Just Outside a Cave (detail)
acrylic on wood
h 47" x w 23.5"
2022
Aurora
acrylic on wood
h 23" x w 18"
2022
Aurora (detail)
acrylic on wood
h 23" x w 18"
2022
Hello
acrylic on wood
h 21" x w 12.5"
2022
Hello (detail)
acrylic on wood
h 21" x w 12.5"
2022
The Path
acrylic on linen
h 39.5" x w 46"
2022
The Path (detail)
acrylic on linen
h 39.5" x w 46"
2022
Hips and Redwoods
acrylic on wood
h 22.5" x w 23"
2022
Growth
acrylic on wood
h 8.5" x w 5.5"
2022
Vitreous Humor
acrylic on wood
h 8 3/4" w 18"
2022
Untitled
acrylic and fur
h3in x w27in x 32in
2021
Untitled (detail)
acrylic and fur
h 3" x w 27" x d 32"
2021
Untitled (blue and green yoni)
acrylic on Canvas
h 20" x w 16"
2021
Spume
Acrylic on canvas
h 30" x 24"
2021
Reflection
scratch paper
h 8" x w 8"
2021
Collecting
Mixed media
2021
Collecting
Mixed media
2021
Flower
acrylic on Canvas
h 20" x w 16"
2021
In the Mountains
acrylic on Canvas
h 20" x w 16"
2021
In the Forest
Acrylic on canvas
h 29" x w 26"
2021
This Place
Acrylic on Canvas
h 12" x w 12"
2020
White
Watercolor on paper and yupo
h 32" x w 36"
2021
White
Watercolor on paper and yupo
h 32" x w 36"
2021
Untitled
acrylic paint on paper with crystals
h 36" x w 24"
2021
Untitled (detail)
acrylic paint on paper with crystals
h 36" x w 24"
2021
Yoni
mixed media collage drawing
8" x 8"
2021
Yoni (detail)
mixed media collage drawing
8" x 8"
2021
Here (detail)
color pencil on paper
h 12" x w 9"
2021
Here
color pencil on paper
h 12" x w 9"
2021

Leaves rustle:
These works, are inspired by imagining places that exist in in-between states of decay and new life. The works blend abstraction and representation, depicting amorphic organic forms with suggestions of the body. The landscapes appear interchangeable with bodyscapes and are interrupted by floaters, or micro-organisms, and blobs or depths that can seem both ominous and comforting. I use bright whites, dark blacks, earth and flesh tones with occasional flashes of bright greens, purples and blues. The colors connect to the earth, body and magic.

My process begins with imagining mysterious life forms that, like a virus or reproductive cells, are both living and nonliving. I imagine microorganisms that grow in a dark cave, or a force that creeps through the forest floor and lives on detritus. I think of outer space, the depths of the ocean, and how these vast spaces relate back to our experiences of birth and death. This exploration often leads back to the body, its vulnerability to illness and design to reproduce. Thus the imagery often points to reproductive organs, the vulva and male reproductive cells, and the bodyscape itself.

I use the natural fluidity in the paint and the wood to create the organic and natural forms. I cut a shape that reflects the images and forms I see, when taking note of the grain and natural patterns and knots in the wood. The paint is often watered down to highlight the patterns in the wood, while in other areas it is heavily applied to insert an invading or new life form. The canvas paintings share the same themes, but are more but begin with more self generated images.

The motivation behind these works is a fascination with the unavoidable cycles of life one encounters. There is a beauty in birth and tragedy and pain in loss. In loss, one searches for understanding and hope. These works seek to find the specific and uneasy beauty that only loss can create. I’ve found a morbid magic in imagining what is created, or what is left, after a loved one is gone. I imagine the regeneration that can come from my loved ones’ bodies and visualize how their spirits might live on. My work functions as a metaphor for hope and magic in the darkness of loss.