I strive to create art that is in a continuous state of visual vibration. My hope is that this vibration creates an unrelenting sense of energy, movement and mystery as ground and image simultaneously meld and repel one another. The primary catalyst for this idea is Walter Benjamin’s writings on the concept of phantasmagoria. Phantasmagoria defines a state where one is overwhelmed by an incessant bombardment of sensory information that is ever-changing. With this concept in mind, I create a sense of vibration with energetic shapes and carefully selected color relationships. Often the shapes appear to reference biomorphic forms, abstracted puzzle pieces and webbed forms. These shapes develop from a stream of conscious like approach to drawing, where I rely fully on my confidence to render in an immediate and rapid yet complete fashion. My palette consists of both subtle tints and highly contrasted warm/cool relationships, with the hope of creating color combinations that are equally as dynamic as the graphic forms they exist in. The interaction of these factors creates a space that readily vibrates as ground/image and color compete for space while they simultaneously rely on one another. In some paintings the ground/image relationship is easily discerned, while in others the visual space of the paintings are shattered because ground and image are purposely ambiguous. In all my work I choose not to judge whether ground/image or color is most important; they are equally crucial. In other words, what unites all of the paintings is the consistent reinforcement of ground and image through color and visa versa. This allows the paintings to exist in a state of flux, creating a vibration. I want the viewer to sense the vibration and therefore experience my work differently from moment to moment. I want the viewer to question whether ground or image or color and form control the space of the painting. I want the viewer to question why the painting is in a state of flux. My hope is that the vibration creates mystery. Click to View CV (html version) Click to Download CV (microsoft word version)