My work explores, but doesn't resolve, the dualities of figure and ground, certainty and uncertainty. Each piece arises from a feeling of intimacy with a place or person, or often, both. Through a collage-like drawing process, I develop compositions that allow for multiple readings—absences may shift into presence, and what at first appears steady may slowly become unstable.
Each composition is formed from shapes I pull from my photographs and older sketches. Some shapes are composites, others are negative spaces or fragments. The resulting compositions are a hybrid of architectural space and body. I don’t plan the palette of the paintings ahead of time. Instead, I start with one paint color and the color of the linen, choosing subsequent colors in turn as the painting develops. I build some shapes up to a smooth sanded finish and others I stain with watery paint. Both play against the neutrality and actuality of the exposed linen.