Doing it Wrong Since 1986! 

I have been so fortunate that my artistic journey began as a small child when I accompanied my mother to college art classes. Enamored with the vast array of media and tools at my disposal, I embarked on a lifetime exploration of the intersection between natural beauty and creative expression. As the years have gone on, both my art and my philosophy of  art have transformed and evolved. 

Today, one of my number one rules in the studio has become “do it wrong” as my tool to overcome immovable road blocks. It can be so hard to approach a blank canvas sometimes, especially when I have a vision set in my mind that I want to accomplish. The vision itself begins to prevent me from taking on the project. So I gave myself this rule to just get something started, knowing that no effort is wasted and that I can fix or paint over or begin again on a new canvas. This is why my paintings contain so many layers.  I had to learn how to abandon my ego and the need to deliver perfection.  Instead, I meet myself right where I am and embrace the missteps or  deepen the layers. 

Sometimes, I will even set aside a canvas knowing that it just doesn't feel right and I need to take a break. I will even put an unfinished canvas up on my wall in my living space so I can meditate on it and let the next wave of inspiration hit me. At that point, you better just get outta my way because that whirlwind strikes and takes out any blank canvas in its path!

I've had many evolutions in my marking style because I have learned that when I paint, I am a conduit in that space. I love to be a student of the medium and let it offer me more ideas of how to approach my next stroke. I let almost every mistake remain permanent as my hero and tv mentor encouraged me,  “There are only happy accidents.” And why not?! I've got a wealth of them! I like to think of mistakes as ideas I didn't have to pay for with mind power. At least on a canvas, it's pretty low stakes.

As I became more comfortable with my seemingly haphazard approach, harnessing my flow state, I began using my marks and symbols to have conversations with myself. In my conversations, I explore my childhood in both its light and heavy.  I follow my mind's path, bobbing and weaving through pitfalls and imposter syndrome and even the full rug being ripped out from under my feet and rebuilding again.

I hope that my paintings are enjoyed as an enduring relationship, the kind that grows with you. At first, they are vibrant and exciting and alien. As time persists, they become comforting and familiar. But every day  another detail unveils and in a new light they can become a different painting altogether.