Meandering line, color and its potential for surprise, repetition, figure and ground—these are the grammar and syntax that guide me. The direction of my paintings is created through a process of action and reaction, intention and accident, intuition and thought, the push and pull between presence and absence. In a world saturated with images, I hope to create paintings that resonate emotionally and communicate beyond language.

My recent work explores how primary elements (line, shape, color) may be manipulated to provide an impetus for personal analogy. Often, there is an insinuation of symbolism in the work. The suggestion of a symbol-like image or icon elicits viewers’ personal, subjective conceptualizations of potential meanings within the perceived “work of art.” Using a reductive visual language, I emphasize formal and material relationships, thus foregrounding the tangible, physical object against the more elusive, intangible dialogue occurring between an active viewer and the objective image.

For years I have made paintings intended to appear to move in ways similar to how time feels. In doing so, I learned that each brushstroke could fully occupy its own rhythm, suggest a decisive direction, and assume a specific velocity. Eventually, these marks became so malleable and playful that they began to misbehave and carve out their own territories.

All my drawings tell a story, and stem from a deep love of illustration’s storytelling power. Ghosts, folklore, and memory commingle in my work. The red motifs come from my greatgrandmother’s sketchbooks: she painted traditional Pennsylvania- Dutch decorations for tins, chairs, and glass paintings that I continue to adapt and expand, creating atmospheres for my figures to inhabit. In creating the patterns that become havens for my figures, I reference the past, in hopes of connecting to the women who came before me.

I usually begin a painting with a very structured idea in place—but that all goes to hell once I am seduced by the process.

Through mixed-media drawings, paintings, and sculptures, my work captures the imaginative curiosity of childhood and the universal desire for escape, thrill, and play in adults. Structures of work are combined with geometric elements in vibrant colors and patterns, becoming lighthearted toys removed from the realities of hardship and danger. A nocturnal world of dreamlike and precarious amusement rides and playscapes is envisioned, inspired by vintage playground equipment, children’s toys, and implements of construction. I invite the viewer to pause and

I paint to express my love and respect for nature and to cultivate those feel-ings in others. As a landscape painter, I work to create visual imagery of the natural environment and, although using traditional techniques, aim to create works that are contemporary in their design and inspire the viewer to look closely at, and even venture into, the natural scene being depicted.

My work is based on autobiographical events in day-to-day life. I draw from a variety of source material and practices, ranging from personal and found photographs to abstraction and direct observation.

I make paintings of the figure as a way to understand desire, which functions in my work in part as a fantasy about being both subject and maker. Throughout my childhood, I was a frequent subject of my father’s paintings and photographs, resulting in my being potently aware, from a very young age, of being looked at and depicted.

I have always been a vivid dreamer. Some years ago, I started journaling when I woke up. What fascinates me are the bizarre images that come to me, such as a deceased friend looking at her tiny skeleton in a shoe box, fish swimming by in a subway station, or a dress made out of Wonderbread wrappers that needs a zipper. Sometimes it is a whole scene or narrative, sometimes a word or two, and sometimes just an image. At first, these were just for my own contemplation and amusement. They were too intimate and embarrassing to share with anyone. Gradually, after