Artist Statement
The focus of my work is the interior space of the mind and related ontological meditations. Through the lens of perception, fluctuating between the miniscule and the grandiose, we find fear and wonder of the unknown, the invisible, and the uncontrollable. Based initially on an investigation of the interior world of the body where beauty and illness mingle in the same fluids and membranes, my work has become a broader reflection on where the physical and the metaphysical intersect. Originally referencing microscopic imagery, the works push an imaginative space that exists beyond the threshold of the eye or lens. Forging a connection between the microcosmic and macrocosmic, the paintings explore tensions between the scientific and the spiritual, the corporeal and the ethereal.
My process includes layering translucent washes of color and building up a symmetrical system of intersecting strands of cells. As amorphous shapes bloom through the application of fluid pigment to wet surfaces, the marked ground references a stained biology slide. In applying thousands of tiny dots, I create an ethereal space where particles gather and disperse in an endless cycle. Particles accumulate, and I manipulate globules of silicone to emerge from the surface as tissue-like prayer beads. The result is the juxtaposition of jewel-like surfaces that both attract and repulse as well as a tactile element for counting countless meditations. While the initial impetus for these compositions is a controlled symmetry, the mutability of the materials often disrupts a perfect equilibrium. My process is exponentially repetitive, cyclical, and meditative.
My interest stems from growing up in a family of science and health practitioners. My focus intensified when my mother — both a nurse and a devout woman of Catholic faith — was diagnosed with and ultimately lost to cancer. Repeating layers and marks becomes a devotional practice in contemplating the relationship between spirit and matter, presence and loss. Fluctuating between organic fluidity and manipulated surfaces, I use this combination of techniques to speak about the tension between what we can and cannot control as well as the exquisite and delicate balance between certainty and faith, what is known and unknown, and holding on and letting go.