For those of you who have not yet had a a chance to visit the show or will not be able to come, I thought you might like to read the text of my Artist Statement posted at the far end of the wall.
Sacred Symbols
My paintings communicate ideas, concepts and emotions that I feel when I am pondering scripture. Sometimes I dwell on a passage for days or weeks at a time, reading it over and over again, daily. The idea for an image will come to me, or I will just start with color and mark making to see where it leads. I may even scribble prayers loosely with a brush and a wash of color as the first layer related to the subject on my mind.
My work contains many layers so there is a history that occurs on the canvas or paper that is an evolution of my response to readings and ideas that I have about God and his relation to us. It is not always a straight forward process. When possible, I like to choose images that are contemporary or to take a contemporary approach to making the images.
I am fascinated with moments in time—moments that signal change, growth, an about face. I like to dwell on the moment on the mountain when the disciples realized they were getting a glimpse of Glory; or the moment when the work on the cross was just finished; or when time will reach its fulfillment. For the past year I spent time considering glory—I suspect that glory is mobile, moving about, landing for while and moving on. Every now and then we may get a taste or a feeling and then it will move on to touch someone else.
Your perspectives and feelings in response to the paintings is important as it informs my understanding of the work.
