rome international art fair

MAY 26TH - JUNE 6TH 2024

Rome international art fair

Science has fueled my imagination and inspired my

painting. I’ve seen cellular structures through

microscopes and looked through telescopes to see

planets and stars. In my imagination and in my

paintings, these images become bigger, brighter

and more colorful than what I have seen through

those instruments. The imagery in my paintings

suggests energy waves of radios, cell phones,

televisions, and microwaves, as well as chemical

responses within cellular organisms. At times, the

images are in the background like a frequency of

white noise. In other paintings, a solar flare up, or

an atmospheric disturbance in the forefront of the

composition commands attention.

Ode to Popova #2

Ode to Popova #2

Acrylic on Plexiglass

image at right

One of four panels

Influences

I have been influenced by other painters and can credit the

work of Sam Francis, Morris Louis and Luibov Popova. Sam

Francis attracted me with his compositional use of color

busting through whiteness. Morris Louis’ large-scale

paintings got my attention by the manner in which he poured

and layered color onto raw and primed canvas. I feel a

particular affinity with Liubov Popova’s compositions from

1916-1924 and have been inspired by the tension and

movement in her paintings from this period. She was a

member of the Russian Constructivist and Supremist

Movements that emphasized the importance of a clear

composition . Often, I will start a piece by drawing the main

compositional elements to scale on paper and start the

painting by drawing or stenciling the large elements on the

canvas.

inspiration

Like with Sam Francis’ works, white extends

to the edges expanding space in these two

pieces. Paint is poured on the painting below

as in Morris Louis’ style. On the right

embedded on the surface of Delivered Datum

(60” x 48”) is the scaled drawing of the

composition. Hint it is upside down and at

the top of piece. Can you find it?

techniques

In the image on the right, the white pieces in

the middle are acrylic skins. The star shows

an imprint, and the resist technique is used

in the web like purplish background.

The inspiration and process for my work has

come from observing and incorporating found

objects, paint applications, and experimenting

with imprint and resist techniques through

progressive layers. Working horizontally, the

compositions gradually evolve with ensuing

processes. Acrylic paint has been chosen

because its fluid nature lends itself to thin

watercolor washes. Conversely, thick and

heavily textured effects have been made from

the chemical solids of color contained within the

paint. The paint has been utilized to the fullest,

and care has been given not to waste the color

solids or use them in any ways that would be

polluting. Evaporation has been used to form

skins or semi solid pellets over pots of color that

are later placed onto the pieces.

Water

Water is Life. In this era of climate crisis, water is an element that is both fundamental and

fearsome as the glaciers melt, floods ensue, and megadroughts change the landscapes of

our planet.

carbonation

Carbonation

24” x 36”

Acrylic on Canvas

The title of this piece is

meant to reference how

we measure our carbon

footprint with the red dots

being negative factors.

Yet this painting is bubbly

like a soda. We must try

to do our best for the

planet, and ourselves,

striving for perfection.

fission and Ice flows

Fission and Ice Flows

32” x 48”

Acrylic on Canvas on Board

Using fission has the potential to

meet our energy needs. Our

glaciers are melting into ice flows.

We are splitting earth’s embodied

energy and throwing it away. Are

we doing the right thing?

music as the muse

These paintings are a visual exploration of the artist’s muse - music. Whether a formally composed piece or

noise emerging from ambient sounds like lapping waves and rustling leaves, music surrounds us, adding color to

our lives. As believed by the ancient Greeks and Chinese, music has the power to heal and enliven, transform

and transport. It can deliver us to distant places and times. To convey the transcendent and timeless quality of

music, ancient Chinese characters and modern musical symbols have been embedded in the paintings which

boldly express movement and rhythm.