Artist Statement
I work in encaustic medium (pigmented beeswax), which allows the application of translucent and opaque layers to be interlaced. This process is both additive and subtractive, complementing the exploration of various thematic constructs. The fluid nature of the encaustic process lends itself to the exploration of these forms and patterns, which interlace structured and unstructured shapes, as well as colors to form a shared surface layer.
My work brings together visual references and constructed landscapes; intermingling interpretations of space and structure, historical precedents; abstracting viewpoints and form. It is very much influenced by my obsession, passion, and occupation with architecture and the built environment.
The latest work closely references urban patterning, architectural manifestations, and imagined spaces. Inspired by a long-time fascination with figure-ground study and spatial relations, I work in layers to compose a positive-negative environment in which space, form, perspective, and place are interwoven. I am interested in the dynamic nature of being, seeing, moving through the built environment; bringing together visual references from my own memory of places I have been, places I desire to explore, and those imagined past and future.
I am a practicing architect and visual artist, and have worked in encaustic medium for the past thirteen years. The fluid nature of the encaustic process lends itself to the exploration of patterns, structured and unstructured shapes, as well as colors to form a shared surface. I have been drawn to working in encaustic because of the adaptability of this medium to be translucent and also opaque.
The encaustic process has parallels to the design process in architecture, where more ideas and details are added over time to create a more exacting construction. While completed architecture does not exhibit all the thought within the design process; encaustic painting, layered in wax and color, provides nuanced views to the construction of ideas.
I have exhibited at BallardWorks, Gallery 63eleven, and Gallery 110 in Seattle, and the Robert Stocker Gallery, and Lemon Tree in Tacoma. I was instrumental in developing the BallardWorks artists building, and was a commissioner for the Seattle Arts Commission.