Artist Statement
I am interested in emotions.
Julia Kristeva often speaks of love and its powers. She breaks love down to linguistics, the power of the perception the word, the power of a symbol; I include the power of color, texture and pattern. What we see has influence over how we perceive, interpret and absorb information and thus determines what we think and who we become.
Since the imagery we see has a profound effect upon the human psyche and even society as a whole, my query is to find out if positive imagery creates a positive society. In depicting imagery that evokes positivism I explore the multi-faceted-ness of love considering pacification, nourishment, and sex in everyday life. I explore the emotive power of color, texture and symbol to express positivism in a narrative. The emotional content of the narrative is explored through cord and discord of color, the juxtaposition of pattern and symbol.
I use memory, sentimentality and childlike whimsy to create images that are embellished and decorated to reveal kindness, respect and accountability. My paintings, works on paper and installations reference American regionalism and folk art and incorporate humanistic and romantic notions of sentimentality, love and hope. I think our culture is missing expressions of love; that which is so obvious that it is often invisible to us. Through the combination of symbols I target a narrative that is an uplifting motivating force of hope and positivism. Positivism as a multi-sensory message has been metaphysically explored since the beginning of time. The imagery we see effects our perceptions of the life we live.
We are what we think. My purpose is to elevate the status of love and beauty in everyday life.