portfolio > painting + drawing

drawing
mixed media on plywood
48 x 48 inches
2018
Continually Recurring Idea, part 1
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Continually Recurring Idea, part 2
acrylic and mixed media on wood
48 x 48 inches
abstract painting
acrylic, graphite, and colored pencil on plywood
Flower Painting/ Drawing
acrylic and mixed media on wood
2016
Landscape with Chair
acrylic and mixed media on wood
2016
Target + Wall
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Slow Curse
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Evolving Floating Flower Bomb
acrylic and mixed media on wood
BB2.5 (Backyard)
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Happy Butter Bombing Run
acrylic and mixed media on wood
A New Plan
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Another Plan
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Happy Home Invasion
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Floater
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Plan: Cleveland
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Plan: Garage
acrylic and mixed media on wood
Plan: Library
acrylic and mixed media on wood
BB1 (Landscape)
acrylic and mixed media on wood

The recent bird drawings on 48" x 48" plywood squares are centered on goofy-looking dead birds surrounded by many cartoony flowers and tanks. These characters often occupy my imagination and show up as obsessive doodles. The image of a dead bird is potentially symbolic of so many things- death of beauty, environmental disaster, loss of innocence, and perhaps even Christ. We live with the consequences of our collective brutal humanity. .......but at the same time, I think the drawings are rather fun.


The more abstract acrylic and mixed media on plywood paintings have evolved from abundant collections of sketched-on scraps of paper and wood. Created through the accumulation of many marks and layers of paint, they are often glued together, sawed into smaller compositions, cut apart, reoriented, sanded, scraped, and repainted. It is often difficult to know exactly when a work is complete, but I try to make each painting evolve in a different way than the one that came before it. Like my sculptures, I'm not satisfied until I find the right balance between clarity and disintegration.

I want each work to exhibit a kind of awkward familiarity. These blobby diagrams suggest daily processes (and hint at a few possible narratives) and are informed by such non-art drawings as carved initials in trees, doodles, and the walls of a well-lived-in house. This daily record of mark making fascinates me, for it is an indication of the overwhelming need to leave a visible record of our existence.