The only thing that separates us from animals is imagination.    - Goya



Artist Statement:

Growing up as I did in the rural Northwest, my roots have always been anchored in the land and the people that nurtured me, and helped me to grow and develop as an artist.  It is not surprising then, that my early years were spent representing reality rather than inventing it, and striving towards technical mastery of my craft.  With that in mind, my current predilection towards lyrical symbolism based on my own personal life experiences and travels, and contemporary literature and myth, did not come easily to me.  By combining refined craftsmanship with conceptual experimentation, and studying myriad artists I admire such as symbolists Caspar David Friedrich, Ferdinand Hodler, and others, I have been able to develop an artistic language uniquely my own.  

Currently I am interested in exploring unique metaphorical juxtapositions that revolve around the convergence of time, place, and memory.  These striking juxtapositions help create intensity and invite thoughtful contemplation.  Sometimes they may seem incongruous and appear to border on the absurd (a peacock paired with a volcanic eruption, for example).  Their meanings are nonetheless important to me, and yet they are also open to personal interpretation.  I like it that way.  While I strongly believe that symbol and myth are timeless vehicles to address contemporary ideas and concerns in art, thankfully, not all symbols mean the same things for everyone.  May it always be so.