Your new body of work explores identity, and how the surrounding world effects this self-exploration. Why do you think it is important to explore these deeper themes through art?
Art, to me, explores the deeper themes of our lives. It makes our experiences richer and deeper and in doing so, nourishes us on a deeper level. It is through the process of art-making that we reach a certain balance.
You also place a clear emphasis on the natural world. What place or landscape most inspires you?
A walk in the woods, the sound of the sea, or best of all, tending to my vegetable garden are experiences that I bring into my studio. I would say, the simple beauty and rhythm of nature is what I seek in my life and in my art. My travels and living abroad has afforded me the memories of diverse landscape. I notice the settle changes in color, light, sunsets, the world of the senses.
Why do you think paint is the best medium to explore both these themes and the paradoxes of landscapes?
It’s the best medium for me at this point in my career. The lush quality of the paint allows me to express myself on the canvas and create emotive extremes. It also lends itself to a visual vocabulary what carries the purity of the moment. For me, it has the ability to make the invisible revealed.
Did you have any artists that have inspired your work – both a teacher of yours or a well-known artist that has influenced your work?
Richard Diebenkorn is one such artist. His work has influenced mine in some mysterious ways. I’m intrigued by how he uses paint in such a semantic way, really stretches the boundaries.
