Artist Statement 2021
In my practise of nearly 30 years, I have been constantly searching for ways to express my thoughts, ideas and feelings sincerely and honestly. I am weary of becoming known for my ‘style’ or recurring themes as this would not reflect who I am as a person. I am constantly growing and evolving and my art reflects this as well.
Over the years I have worked with many tools, materials and methods and I have always tried to match the medium with the subject matter as a way to reinforce and strengthen the work.
My training is in drawing and painting but my work experience as a theatre designer, costumer and props maker have broadened my skill sets and my ability to work with a variety of materials.
I have worked with sculptural work as well as installation (Body Count), 3D dioramas (Made in Canada) and multi-layered 2D images using panels and plexiglass (Recent Landscapes).
I have worked with the human figure, objects, landscapes and a fusion of all three as my subjects.
I enjoy creating visual layers for people to have to work a bit in order to see all that there is to see and to challenge their thinking in how these layers work together to create a cohesive idea or image.
I like to push the saturation of my colours as a way to heighten the impact of the images and to create a level of excitement and stir the emotions of the viewer.
There is often a subtle message in my work that invites the viewer to invest some time to look beneath the surface and to involve them in a participatory way.
The work that I am currently engaged with is very personal and introspective due in part to the experience of the past year and a half of living in a global pandemic and fighting daily to drag myself out of the sluggish, stagnant muck of inertia.
“A new painting is a unique event, a birth, which enriches the universe as it is grasped by the human mind, by bringing a new form into it.” (Henri Matisse)