Artist Statement
My primary ongoing artistic concern, beyond themes and content, is to paint directly with minimal conceptual underpinnings or sidetracks such as irony, satire, etc.
Thematically I seem to be driven to locate a center, or at least having a ‘center’ suggested, implied or felt in my work. I aim for a complex simplicity with no final definitions that can ensnare myself.
My intention is a ‘relaxed urgency;’ an almost carefree approach but with intuitive discernment and an inner guidance. I aspire to the spirit of an art that is playful, disciplined and inscrutable: that contemplates the fragile nature of reality and reflects the process of engaging in that buoyant insecurity.
Bio
Born in northern Illinois, I attended Illinois State University and received a double BA in Psychology and Fine Art (Painting & Drawing).
After graduation I moved to Boulder in 1977 and studied poetry at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poets at Naropa University. I also began a lifelong journey of study & practice of Tibetan Buddhism. I went onto graduate school at the University of Colorado and received an MFA in Painting.
In 1984, I moved to a loft in Brooklyn where I immersed myself in painting and the Williamsburg art scene, and worked for several years as a studio assistant for the artist Red Grooms. I lived in NYC for eighteen years and had several shows in the city, including two solo shows; at Kent Fine Art and Moeller Fine Art. I was awarded a NYSFA fellowship in 1988 for sculpture, and began my interest in mono-printing at Bud Shark’s lithography back in Boulder. Elon College has some of those monoprints in their permanent collection.
In 2001, just three months before the tragedy of 9-11, my wife and I moved to the Hudson Valley to await the birth of our twins, Annika & Ryder. I built a home and studio nestled in the mountains and have devoted myself to painting and family life.
I am fortunate to have had a consistent, full creative life in the studio, and I continue to show and present work in various venues. I’m also lucky to have a regular studio rental at the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY where, year after year, I’ve been making monotypes, an important part of my work. This whole artistic journey has been an utterly enriching experience despite the many struggles that come along with it. I deeply appreciate this productive adventure which includes all the vicissitudes of life.
My most recent solo show, ‘Brief Lives and Other Ruptures’, opens in May, 2024 in Beacon, NY.