statement

Through a combination of traditional, experimental, and gestural applications of paint and other media, I create primal and psychologically engaging representations of the human form.  My intent is to present the viewer with unique and varied depictions of the figure so that, though my artistic process and analysis, they discover new ways of seeing and thinking about themselves and those around them.

With each piece, I try to preserve some aspect of my initial reaction to the subject.  My work begins with a series of raw and visceral gestures.  The distortions that occur through the rapid application of media on the surface help dictate the outcome of each piece. Before it is finished, my work goes through several stages of building up textures, scraping them away, and obscuring layers with more paint and other media.

Capturing some element of likeness, or realism, is important in engaging the viewer in a direct way.  The figure, being immediately recognizable as such, allows us to instantly relate to the work on some level.  However, crude applications of materials infuse the work with a type of subconscious energy that straightforward realism cannot achieve.

bio

born: 1978, Waukesha, Wisconsin

education

Arizona State University, MFA, Painting & Drawing, 2007
Carthage College, BA, Studio Art, 2001

selected solo or two-person exhibits

New Figures, Patti and Rusty Rueff Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 2011

selected group shows

Bradley International, Print and Drawing Exhibition. Heuser Art Center Gallery, Contemporary Art Center, Peoria, IL, 2011