Much of my work might be characterized by pattern, repetition and layering of tone and formal abstraction on paper.  At the root of my work is a fascination with the quality of line, mark, and stroke of the pencil on the page.  I think of my work as a spiritual practice.  I strive to create marks on the page that are “alive” in much the same way the Zen calligrapher creates a line that is “alive” through a meditative focus of the mind.

A related influence is wabi-sabi. Often associated with the aesthetic of the Japanese tea ceremony, wabi-sabi recognizes beauty in the imperfect, worn, aged, faded, simple or crude.  I often strive for a look of faded or aged tone or an imperfect “wash” in my work. The small areas of paper where no tone is deposited by the pencil fascinate me.

Less obvious in my work, yet present, are the role of memory, recollection and the subtle atmosphere of familiarity that is created in my mind as I work. I am inspired by and often study the work and lives of Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist artists. My work is forward looking while being informed by my earliest impressions of art.