AESTHETIC STATEMENT

My artwork arises from my natural inclination and affinity toward all things in nature. Living in the northern forest and lake country of the upper Midwest, I find unlimited inspiration in the ever-changing woodland landscape. Whether making mixed media assemblages, representational landscape oil paintings, abstract paintings, or three dimensional forms; the mystery of the cosmos and the natural world always stands centerstage. I combine this interest in nature with the concept of renewal, rebirth and transformation that is ever present in nature and in the human experience.

The intimacy of living close to nature provides an incredible opportunity to witness the process of change and transformation, resiliency and vulnerability, strength and fragility, death and rebirth in nature. It is my hope that my artwork will bring awareness of not only the beauty of life's cycles, but also the issue of destruction inherent in the cycles of life whether natural or human-made as seen in our current climate crisis, and in the impact of billions of humans on the planet.

The concept of rebirth, is a fundamental aspect of my artwork. This idea offers a profound perspective on the cyclical nature of existence. The notion that life is not a linear journey with a definitive end, but rather a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth whether literally or metaphorically. I juxtapose the issues of beauty and decay, death and rebirth, undoing and transformation in my work, and hope it will inspire and inform the viewer.