Artist Statement

My teacher, Ed Kerns, studied under both Grace Hartigan and Willem de Kooning — two painters at the center of Abstract Expressionism, the movement that permanently changed what painting could be.

I paint because it's the only time my brain shuts off. The only thing that exists is me and the canvas.

My work is informed by itself. Line feeds shape. Shape feeds color. Color opens the next question. I think of each painting as a puzzle that reveals itself as you go.

I love working large because scale changes the relationship you have with the piece. A painting you can stand inside is a different experience than one you hang and walk past. I want you to have to reckon with it.

And I further support that by naming very few of my paintings. I can’t put an idea in your mind before you’ve spent time with the work to figure it out yourself.

I've been doing this for thirteen years. Still feels like I’m finding a voice every time a new collection is born. But that's what I'm chasing every time.