Passage III, 2022. Oil on Wood. 36x34 Inches. Based on a film photograph by Elisabeth Daring.
The Watchpost, 2018. Oil on Canvas. 39x39in. Giclee Prints Available.
Painted on residency outside of Beijing, China in a small village surrounded by high mountains disappearing unto the Great Wall. China leads on surveillance and facial recognition technology, though I was surprised to its' extent. Even in this village of 400 residents, there were cameras on many street corners and a "telescreen" in the plaza across from the only general store. There is a growing duality to reality and a certain heaviness around it. From this placeI painted this painting, "The Watchpost." Battles for Peace adjacent work.
Passage II, 2020. Oil on Linen. 30x24 Inches. Based on a film photograph by Jeremiah Flores.
Passage I, 2020. Oil on Linen. 30x24 Inches.
Passage V, 2022. Oil on Canvas. 20x24 Inches.
Ocean View (Fjord), 2020. Oil on Wood. 30x30 Inches.
There's Oil Under the Arctic, 2017. 36X36 inches. Oil, Graphite on Wood. Giclee Prints Available. Placed in Private Collection 2022.
There's Oil Under the Arctic was inspired by 2015 headlines of a newly ice-free patch of Arctic Sea, a particular Russian Flag on the North Pole, and subsequent claims to control it put forth to the UN from 5 Arctic-bordering countries. This work questions where in the world does open space exist without political or industrial control. There is an 'eye candy' of man-made influence - is it destructive or cooperative?
The Ocean, 2022. Oil on Wood. 36x36 Inches.
Studies on Forgotten Space #2, 2015. 36X36 inches. oil, charcoal on wood.
Fog, 2013. Oil + Charcoal on canvas. 54X81 inches.
This was the last canvas for [Lack of] Being and one that I worked over and over. Unlike most of the others this image was not premeditated and my vision formed as the painting progressed. The space it creates might seem ominous, but the forest is a place where I feel the most content. I grew up near the Appalachians - an ancient, lush, and nurturing setting. The woods were my exploratorium, and a source of imagination and inspiration. I would wander for hours not knowing where I was going, but never got lost; I always found a direction to go in and followed it whole-heartedly.
Sky Over Gemini, South Georgia, 2019. Oil on Linen. 40x30 Inches.
Based on my favorite paintings by Georgia O'Keefe. As well as nostalgia for the excitement of looking out plane windows whenever I go to a new country, but especially my young adult years moving to California.
Queen Anne’s Lace, 2019. Oil on Linen. 40x30 Inches. Giclee Prints Available. Placed in Private Collection 2022.
People, 2011. Oil and Screenprint Ink on Wood. 36x36 Inches.
Existential Waiting, 2013. Oil, ink, graphite, charcoal on canvas.
As part of the exhibition, [Lack of] Being is about a personal defeat and a loss of self. It was created throughout my journey of re-establishing a grounding and sense of identity. This image symbolizes an emotional space when I was still looking for something from the outside to tell me what direction to take or where I belong. I was hoping for a sign or opportunity to place an anchor within my life. Again, there is a horizon line that extends infinitely, but is also infinitely unattainable. The imaginary landscape contains hard objects - black rocks of the same meaningless origin - that was inspired by desert landscapes along with those in Cui Xiuwen’s ‘Existential Emptiness’ series. The mailboxes are taken from a 35mm travel photograph stopping in Monroe, Utah.
Exit Series #4, 2012. Oil, Charcoal on canvas. 84x120 inches.
Immaterial Space #2, 2013. 3X3 ft. Oil on Wood.
Passage IV / Alpine Meadow, 2022. Oil on Wood. 24x36 Inches. Based on a film photograph by Elisabeth Daring.
Filtered Water, 2021. Oil on Linen. 40x30 Inches.
The Woods, 2022. Oil on Wood. 30x40 Inches.
Studies on Forgotten Spaces #1, 2015. 36X36 in. Oil, charcoal, pastel on wood.
Red Clover on the Chesapeake Bay, 2019. Oil on Wood. 40x30 Inches. Commission for private collection.
Cultivation Killed the Wildlife, 2017. 36x36 inches. Oil on Wood. Painted in Los Angeles and Beijing.
A nod to our agricultural practices, and influenced by the historical perspective that when humans ceased being hunter-gatherers and formed settled societies, it was also a shift towards patriarchal rule and the suppression of the wild feminine.
North of February, 2018. Oil on Canvas. 36 x 48 inches. Based on a black and white photograph of Jökulsárlón, Iceland.
Ocean View, Malibu, 2020. Oil on Wood. 30x30 Inches.
Studies on Forgotten Spaces #3, 2015. Oil and charcoal on canvas, 48X48 inches.
Studies on Forgotten Spaces explores empty spaces expanding into the immaterial, emotional, and cerebral realms. I often imagine myself in these landscapes that stretch on forever. There is no wind, only fog and quiet. Even my own voice is blanketed by the circumstance of existence. This series is like forgotten memories, or lost childhood mental states - observant, nonjudgemental, curious about stillness and movement of time.
Of Being in Nothingness #3, 2016. 48X36. Oil on Wood.
Of Being In Nothingness series is inspired by a few infrared photographs (of mine) as well as taken from memory. I was on top of a mountain south of Big Sur. It was a clear morning after a rainy day. We had hiked off the trail and camped in a clearing matted down by deers (presumably). The mountaintop we stood on put us at the same level as the clouds, and I could see the tops and bottoms with a dark line in between. I had never seen clouds at this perspective before. I aimed to paint these two images as a floating space in which to exist; a space with no ground and infinite sky. While on the same level as the clouds I could barely see the ocean below, and it looked as if the sky stretched in both directions.
Immaterial Space #1, 2013. 3X3 ft. Oil on wood.
Immaterial Space is a study on horizon. A surreal world with no grounding and the sky seeming to push downwards; a pressure without physicality.
Storm Over High Desert, 2019. Oil on Linen. 40x30 Inches.
Based on one of my favorite landscapes that I always make sure to visit when traveling across this country. A mile-high plateau southwest of Denver in Colorado. Inquiries into Permanence will intuitively explore natural phenomena that create pattern by existing as constant change. I aim to paint these images with more imagination, intuition, and color.
Dunes, 2022. Oil on wood. 24x24 Inches.
2117, 2013. 4X8ft. Oil, charcoal, pastel, graphite on paper on wood.
A continuation study on 'the unknown' and [Lack of] Being but with a futuristic intent.
Battleship Yamato Sunk by U.S. Navy Planes, East China Sea 17 April 1945. 2016-17. Oil on Wood. 45X84 inches.
My recent series - Battles for Peace - explores the fragility of our comfort as the state of the world changes rapidly. Ideas of imminent or sudden destruction is becoming more present in our societies and psyche. I pull imagery from World War II photographs as well as seemingly untouched landscapes around the world. My commentary imagines that there is no more surface of this earth - no more open space - that is uncontrolled by industry or political domination. Perhaps, also including our own inner selves.
Exit Series #1, 2012. Oil, charcoal on canvas. 84x130 inches.
Existent/Directional, 2013. Oil, Pastel, Charcoal, Graphite on Canvas. 54x66”.
the unknown, 2013. 54X130 inches. Oil, charcoal, pastel, graphite, inkjet on canvas.