Artist Statement

My paintings are about the boundaries between inside and outside and the tensions that are set up as a result of actual as well as implied barriers. I have been using a format of repetitive symbolic motifs which links the work to decorative as well as modern abstract aesthetics. The paintings are linked explicitly to the body by the use of trompe l’oeil painting techniques of hair, fur, skin and mouths and to the world, with representations of everyday objects; ropes, nets, fishing lures, grass and leaves. I make a painting based on a rather intuitive idea, such as an object or a texture that catches my interest for symbolic as well as sensual reasons. The paint is sometimes printed on the surface and often is painted on and highlights are rubbed back out so that there is a sense of attention to the boundaries of the surface. The almost mechanical process of repeating an image over and over reinforces the idea of tension and control and implied impending chaos. The paintings are informed by my reading of Feminist and literary criticism as well as contemporary fiction and I see them as my way of thinking through and personalizing ideas. The sense of art-making as an adult form of play that is filled with unexpected revelations is something that keeps me interested.