About

Artist’s Statement

Why is there a geometric relationship between the size of the Earth and Moon?  And why does this relationship reflect the same mathematical proportion that is present in the growth patterns of nature?  What compels me as an artist is an inner need to explore areas like these that are not clearly defined; areas that possess a quality of the mysterious.  Through the use of symbol, geometry, mathematical proportion, pattern, and color, I search for meaningful ways to express these mysterious elements in my work.

As my understanding of the laws that govern order and chaos in the world grows, so also does my need to explore these scientific elements through my artwork.  These explorations are influenced by a mixture of philosophies including those of the Pythagoreans, medieval mystics, alchemists, Carl Jung, and contemporary quantum physicists.  The meeting of these seemingly disparate ways of looking at the world created a strong synthesis of ideas that I then translate into visual symbols expressed in my artwork.

Geometry provides an important symbolic structure for the exploration of the more mysterious places within the natural world.  Since the time of the Pythagoreans specific symbolic qualities of number symbolisms have been associated with aspects of geometric shape and form.  These symbolic ideas create an important structure in my artwork and a sense of order from which to begin my visual explorations.

In my experience, the subtle use of color is the most immediate way to make a connection between visual symbols and their emotional content.  In my paintings, I work with three primary colors to mix all the colors present.  In this way, I am able to explore the balance of color through opposites, build color relationships through the use of multiple layers of translucent paint, and express fully the emotional aspects of color without the interference of unrelated colors within this relationship.  I use color to define space and create movement within the detailed patterned surface of my paintings, creating the illusion of depth within the overall two-dimensional quality of my work.

There are several concepts expressed in mathematics and quantum physics that have had a great influence on my creative work.  Self-similarity, as expressed in the mathematical proportions of the Golden Ratio, in fractals, in growth patterns of plant, mineral and animal forms, in the nonperiodic Penrose tilings; all express to me a deeper mystery that serves as a connecting element among these different ways of seeing the world.  In quantum physics I am inspired by the concept of self-limitation within the limitlessness of the quantum potential as theorized by David Bohm.  This theory, expressed in the implicate order of the quantum realm enfolded within the visible world, connects with my interest in the medieval philosophy and later alchemical visions of experiencing the world as the “microcosm within the macrocosm”.

I work to embody the quality of mystery that I experience in the world around me within the visual expression of my paintings.  It is fascinating for me as an artist to consider the wide range of these ways of experiencing the world, separated by time and subject, and find in them a better way of expressing my own personal artistic themes.