My recent work in painting combines the naturalistic representation of trees with evidence of abstracted human constructions, such as flat rectilinear structures, diagrammatic images, and printed text. In these pieces, I explore the dual status of painting as both self-existant object and the illusionistic representation of three-dimensional space. Flat, solid paint surface is transformed into light, space, and atmosphere, while simultaneously maintaining its identity as a physical object. The abstract elements interfere with the conventional illusion of deep space -- of painting as a “window” into nature, calling our attention to our own perceptual processes and the ability of paintings to exist in multiple visual realities simultaneously.

In addition to exploring the processes of perception and image making, the paintings also symbolize the imposition of human order on the natural world. Human culture is not indicated directly, either by literal representation of people or their works, but suggested by the inclusion of diagrammatic drawings, text, and geometric abstract structures. The trees, my primary characters, function as representatives for the natural world . Their placement alongside abstract, human constructions reflects the tension between human creations and interests and the ongoing processes of nature, but shows that a sort of harmony, or poetry, can occur even in the middle of this inevitable conflict.