Japanese Print Series I

The Japanese Print Series is based on Japanese wood cuts and uses bright colors and line work to set an old work in a new context of bizaarre images. These works also repesent our time where there is so much chaos, friction, and over-stimulation.

the painted boy

the painted boy series are a fantasy journey, an open narrative, a familiar dream that follows the painted boy. Worlds where elephants talk, flowers walk with you, and angels hold your hands and you remember you had wings. There is an air of whimsy in remembering, a softness that time allows, but there is also the hints of darkness, the sadness and hurts that are part of a journey and cannot be forgotten. But we move on, following the paths that are set before us...and as with my painting, it isn't about the journey itself but the things encountered and learned along the way...

ALTERED BOOKS, PAPER WORK, and "Words from the Box"

I like working with paper and glue. My first scrapbook was started when I was two. I was allowed (!) to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them onto the pages. My favorite image was the Bon Ami chick -- hasn't scratched yet. I have made scrapbooks, collages, paper dolls, and papier mache sculptures most of my life. I collected thousands of pieces of 19th C ephemera and was the editor of the Ephemera Society newsletter for three or four issues. I also did a cartoon strip for that newsletter.

Collage / Mixed Media

Whether expressing the joy of innocence or the sorrow of degradation, the fragmentation of the images in my work exposes the human condition through collage. The emotional complexity in my pieces draws the viewer in. We are all products of our environment and the multi-layering in this medium allows the viewer to search my collages for something in which to relate.

A hand gesture, a facial expression or an object can transpose as an abstract image, yet invoking a memory from the past and becoming a visual reality.

Numbers

Greed, gluttony and corporate identity are all disturbing characteristics that I feel compelled to incorporate into my work. I illustrate the idea that it's not necessarily advantageous to have that corner office, eat that extra dessert or even run the country.

The painting backgrounds are collage with found/hand clipped numbers mostly from supermarket flyers.
Subscribe to collage