Reflection

My art is based on my life. These life experiences acquired fuel my imagery. They speak a personal language of emotions both positive and negative. Using the human figure as my subject, I look for interesting ways to capture the essence of my thoughts as I create an image. The focus is on an innovative way to encapsulate these emotions, and create my own visual language. I strive for a balance between chaos and order, beauty and the grotesque, and often the two dualities integrate into one. The solitary figures in my work contain the collective emotions and feelings experienced throughout my existence and personify the human condition. Process plays an important role in the creation of my work. While growing as an artist, I have come to realize that I tend to make more uccessful work when tactics are employed that can result in a finished image within a moderately short time span. If the method used is too lengthy, ideas can become distorted, and often interest is lost. Therefore, the processes I have chosen with printmaking, the direct painting monotype and the monoprint transfer lithograph are limited by time. Although I do not confine myself exclusively to these processes, I feel a greater consistency and at a higher rate o f success. Even within the sculptural work, I have developed an approach that allows me to create a virtually finished piece within a relatively short time span. The message within my work is highly personal, and often difficult to verbalize. There is often apprehension about giving the viewing audience too much information. Titles offer a direction, but most are layered in their meanings. The evidence and clues as to the meaning of an image are often ambiguous. I ultimately want to capture the attention of the audience, spark their curiosity, and invite them to formulate their own interpretations.