Edmond, OK
Artist Statement
I use my works on paper to describe my life, expressing my thoughts and emotions about a specific moment or circumstance through my relationships with those I am closest to. I build up thin layers of paint, ink and erased charcoal to conceal and reveal images the way emotions and behavior are unconsciously layered to hide or signal something to others. The gesture and composition of the figures in my work are very important, as they are the first indicators of the work's meaning. I use recurring objects from piece to piece as symbols or metaphors for people and ideas. For example, I often use a typewriter to represent myself, or a bird as a metaphor for fear, or the fleeting nature of time. I use paper as my surface because of its flexibility, smoothness, and capacity for erasure. Like a palimpsest, it shows the progression and history of layers of marks. It is like skin; it wrinkles and fights back when worked on, asserting its personality into the painting or drawing. Like journal pages, my work is an ongoing narrative, each piece chronologically linked to the others. The work is often grouped in a series. Each gesture, color, layer, and object is significant, and each work interacts with the others to establish meaning through a repetition of these elements.
Education
2006 MFA, Printmaking, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco CA 2004 BA, Graphic Design, Magna Cum Laude, Honors in Art, Anderson University, Anderson IN 2001 New York Studio School, Drawing Marathon with artist Graham Nickson
