Artist Statement

In my paintings and sculptures, I construct biomorphic forms that fuse elements of the human body, animals, and plants, using dots as building blocks. I explore themes of impermanence, interconnectedness and the cycle of creation and dissolution. Spatial configurations of forms often incorporate art historical references, including subjects from Renaissance painting.

Rather than being in a state of completion, the forms in my work exist in a state of continuous creation and dissolution, emerging from and dissolving back into an ephemeral transparent space. I compose them in various relationships to suggest narratives, with ballet and the graceful flow of bodies through space a frequent source of inspiration. Each form is composed of the same essential units, reflecting how all matter in the physical world arises from the identical subatomic particles arranged in ever-shifting combinations. In my use of color I aim for the vibrancy and luminosity of stained glass. My work contrasts structure and fluidity, with some areas of the paintings containing precisely applied dots while other areas show a looser, thicker and freer application of paint.

Recurring fractal patterns in nature have long fascinated me, particularly those found in neurons, tree branches, and river networks. I incorporate this motif as a central element, intrigued by its appearance across vastly different scales—from the microscopic to the macroscopic—which suggests an underlying continuity throughout nature.

The spatial configurations of my forms draw on a range of art historical references, especially those connected to the idea of other realms and states of transition. These include the Renaissance subject of ascension, in which figures rise toward another plane of existence, as well as Olympus, the abode of the Greek gods. Additional references include the keyhole-shaped doorway in Islamic architecture, which represents a portal between the worldly and the sacred. The motif of dots flowing across gaps between forms that appears throughout my work is inspired by Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam as well as photographs of nerve cells firing electrical impulses across the synaptic gap.

Although my work is primarily abstract, the biomorphic forms suggest figuration and I present these figurative elements in various relationships to suggest narratives. I see my work as interactive as viewers interpret the imagery in vastly different ways according to their own perceptions and life experience.

I feel a connection with several artists who created abstract forms inspired by organic elements, including Eva Hesse, Lee Bonticou, Louise Bourgeois and Ruth Asawa.

My process begins with a pencil drawing, followed by a small study on paper using gouache and acrylics, which I then expand into acrylic paintings on canvas. I also translate these ideas into sculpture, initially using ping-pong balls and more recently acrylic-painted cork spheres. These spheres function as three-dimensional equivalents of the dots in the paintings.