Statement
As an artist, I am interested in the fragile relationship we have with the natural world. Most patterns in nature are invisible to the casual observer, yet without these systems, survival is impossible. John Muir, the American naturalist, once wrote, ”When you tug on a single thing in nature you find it attached to the entire universe.” In my current project, I use a micro view of nature as a way of seeing the big picture. Something as small and inconsequential as a pollen grain or a piece of tree lichen balanced in a field of color sets up a dialogue between content and imagination. Mixing cartoony and diagrammatic strategies is my way of calling attention to nature's hidden structures with both humor and gravity. Drawing from sources that include botanical illustrations, photographs of lichen growing on tree bark and specimens I collect from my backyard. I create paintings that ask you to stop and consider more than meets the eye.
