paintings

I discovered cold wax medium after years of exploring my art making process using a very traditional approach taught in the local art academies. Using oil paint and mediums applied with an array of brushes, I carefully built my images using principles of drawing, composition, color and value. As I grew over the years, I searched for unique materials to express a growing desire to shift my work toward imagery that reflects my respnse to the natural world, driven by my growing need to look inward and listen to the whispers within. Cold wax, combined with oil paint, is applied with knives, squeegees and brayers, slowly building a surface comprised of many layers of translucent wax/paint mixture. This process and medium instantly resonated with my creative intentions, opening up a new pathway for deep expressive paintings that gave a voice to my feelings and internal observations. It is a love affair with material that grows with me, opening up an endless journey of possibility. I have recently begun to use acrylic paint in combination with plaster of paris, marble powder, volcanic sand from the lakes in central oregon and other found materials. This gives me expanded opportunities to develop richly textured paintings with depth and brillint color.

Each painting is created over the span of 5 days to 2 weeks, slowly developing the surface, shifting both color and texture until the final image emerges. I often use graphite and marble powders, and natural earth pigments. The paintings are on canvas, cradled birch panels, and paper. The final work is dried, then gently nuffed to a slight sheen which creates a beautiful finish.