In the Studio
My process is physical and intuitive. I work primarily in acrylic on paper, board and canvas, building the surface through layers of paint, scraped passages, washes, lines and marks. I use brushes alongside palette knives, painting knives, plastic putty blades and whatever other tools give me the kind of edge, drag or interruption I'm looking for. Pencil and acrylic pens often find their way into the work as well, adding loose lines over and through the painted surface.
I'm drawn to simple forms that can be suggested with only a few gestures. The doves that have begun appearing repeatedly in my recent work, for example, are often made with just a handful of strokes from a brush or painting knife. I like that they don't need to be completely described. A few marks can be enough for the eye to recognize the form, while still allowing it to remain part of the abstraction.
Across the surface, I'm usually looking for a kind of vertical rhythm—paint pulled downward, thin washes, drips and splatters interrupted by heavier areas of scraped paint and thick impasto. Much of the process is about responding to what is already there: covering things, revealing them again, disrupting something that feels too resolved, and allowing unexpected marks to remain. I rarely know exactly where a painting is going when I begin. That's part of what keeps me interested in making the next one.