ARTIST STATEMENT

In my abstract drawings, I investigate the relationship between man-made structures and the natural environment. With our society’s ever-increasing need for housing, workspace, energy, and transportation, we often alter and destroy nature while we use it. I wish to draw attention to our environment as we have shaped it and its significant influence, whether or not we are aware of it.

Inspiration for my drawings comes from everyday surroundings, such as freeways, bridges, unusual perspectives, and the play of light and shadow on buildings or in open spaces—everything that can be found in an urban environment. I usually work in small series, starting with a single idea or a new concept, or an undeveloped idea from earlier work.

Pen and ink is my preferred medium. Ink wash (either in black and white or in a limited palette of two to three colors) allows me to paint transparent, luminous backgrounds with subtle contours. The overlay of various tonal values creates depth and ignites the next phase of drawing. I also use a technical pen to build detailed and complex shapes, which are intended to form a dynamic, balanced whole. As I work, I am part of a dialog between the background and the lines, the marks, and the geometrical elements. Each shape is a response to a certain area of the drawing or to the whole work at that point in time.

In many cases, I have only a vague idea how a drawing will look when completed; most often, it will evolve from the marks I made the previous day. I am compelled to respond to what I see with fresh eyes when beginning work in the studio each day. I see these drawings as focused meditations on light, shadow, existing and imagined boundaries, the environment, and our shared human experience.