Nature and its energetic forces are active participants in my painting process. By manipulating thin oil paint on small panels through tilting, dripping, smearing and blowing, I allow the viscosity of the paint, gravity and time to determine the work’s result.

I am interested in the forces involved in the physical act of painting: the balance or tension between the solidity of the paints and the fluidity of the medium; the energy that propels the movement of the brush; and the undivided attention that witnesses the unfolding forms. I allow this moment-by-moment process to inform my movements and decisions.

This approach to painting is full of surprises. I have to be present with the materials in the same way a musician needs to be present with the vagaries of their instrument. I have to understand their behavior, respond immediately and recognize when the vitality of the moment begins to unfold. Then I must release my expectations and go with that unfolding.

As I work, momentum builds. I find myself exploring a certain gesture, repeating it in piece after piece, only to see it manifest differently and uniquely time after time. The resulting paintings, usually displayed in grids of 25 panels, capture the ebb and flow of my explorations.