Artist Statement

My art is about spinning outside of boundaries in the continuing search for transcendence. It is the alchemy of the physical application of the paint with movement and softened edges, the organic development of the painting surface and the play of light in nature to get to the source. The source for me is Wonder and Love. The theatrical characters who swim through the blissful mindscapes of Nebulon are the embodiment of this infinite feeling of Love and Wonder that provide the base for my blissful universe. It is the dance of the paint through me as I am in motion around large scale structures. It is also waiting with quiet mind early in the dark and hope the painting will talk to me with its nonverbal dialogue.

The underlying impressionist and gestural language of my art recalls the experimental club scene with trapeze, cross-dressing and costuming and Gaia’s play of light in skies and forests. Both of these obsessions beckon me toward the vibrational color palette. The sonic impression of the painting, the vibrational quality of the paint, the feel of the wood, paper and aluminum textures and all of this resonates for me to create introspective and peaceful works from the mind’s eye. This language is liquid and swimming in nature. It resonates with myths as each piece considers the drama of performance and narrative, reflecting my years working in poetry and writing, while my deep love of electronic music and circus, especially acrobatics and flow artists, and has led me to orchestrate and collaborate on interactive and dance.

There’s a letting go, a swan-dive into the Wilderness. Sometimes the faces come to life in the paint and I cry. Sometimes I twirl in my hoop. Sometimes we sing and dance together. The paintings aren’t really good unless I go through this range of emotions. Often after a manic flow, when I feel particularly spent, things appear in the paint, and I wonder who has painted these things. And then, when the figure breathes; it is complete. This awakening is a great ecstasy for me and it defines my art; it is my raison d’etre. It begins with the wonder created by the performer who has stretched himself physically and mentally until he becomes other-worldly. I take these impressions of the performer with me into the paint. We swim in this in-between realm – I call it Nebulon. It is the space of Love, Wonder, Beauty in Nature– my connection – a pipeline to the source; the one – the black hole of Awe. I want to understand this place where we travel to. This is why I paint. And yet I hope I never find a key; only more mystery.