WALLFLOWERS

“I always sense the future; the antithesis of everything is always before my eyes.  I have never seen a child without thinking that it would grow old, a cradle without thinking of a grave.  The sight of a naked woman makes me imagine her skeleton.”  -Flaubert

This work emerged from reflections upon my own mortality: deepening injuries, memories and regrets, shortening years.  As I worked, it morphed into meditations on the ephemeral nature of beauty and youth.  The images suggest fragility, woundedness, self-protection, hiddenness – but also strength and wisdom, and a sense of waiting, of inhabiting liminal spaces.  Not portraits, they are instead interior landscapes, traversing the terrain of age and experience, memory and loss.  “With much wisdom comes much sorrow,” wrote Solomon, and this is true of the adolescent as well as the elder.

The process is also old: dating back to the ancient Greeks, the images are created using wax and resin on wood panels.  I also incorporate photography, Japanese papers, printmaking techniques, cut papers, silver and gold leaf, and more.  Although the images are photo-based, I liken the creation of each unique piece more to painting than photography.  The rules of engagement are different; it’s a tactile process creating three-dimensional works; one can work intuitively, play with multiples, use a wide variety of materials, and enjoy the deep, sweet scent of wax and resin.

Every piece is one of a kind. Please inquire for purchase.