artist statement

Stick House Series

The Stick House series is inspired by a recurring dream where I discover additional rooms or spaces in a past or present home. The series originally manifested as an examination of the simplified symbol for house—the “stick figure” version. The structures also embody an expression of memory as a house, building, or attic containing different spaces filled with images, information, and emotion.

I am interested in how the lines simultaneously express relationships and community but also separation. Each stick connects to the others with a solid and specific line, yet is also precariously attached and could snap if enough force is applied.

Over time the series has evolved to incorporate wire, fabric, branches and other articles to explore how the juxtaposition of the articles with the stick structures can influence the viewer’s perception in the same way that the skeletal quality of these pieces allows for the direct influence of context. The wall where each hangs (be it painted, brick, patterned, window, etc.) can change the nature of the piece significantly in the same way a viewer’s preconceptions influence his or her reaction to a piece of art. 

Still Life Paintings

The still lives incorporate objects found in my home and studio.  The cigar boxes evoke my interest in collecting and my tendency to compartmentalize.  I am attracted to the juxtaposition of hard surfaces (wood, plastic, glass) against soft or fluid ones (plants, fabric).

 I both enjoy and struggle with the process of selecting a still life composition.  The composition is the armature for the painting and sometimes deciding on the arrangement of the still life takes as much time as painting it does. 

Still life painting is contemplative and meditative for me, and I find the act of painting and drawing in this context serves as a compass that connects me back to my artistic core. It is this circling back to the ritual of rendering in my own style, space, and time that allows room for new ideas to percolate and develop.