Using encaustic, photography and multi-media, my work explores the realms of connection - how our striving for intimacy affects our relationships to ourselves, others, nature, and the world around us. I attempt to evoke a sense of how the "ordinary" things in life can bring us to larger truths of the struggle between fulfillment and longing, grasping and letting go, and the transitory nature of our experiences. I like to create pieces that include natural elements, photographs, letters, old books, illustrations, metal and 3-D objects, to create a feeling of mystery and surrealism.

In the studio I'm surrounded by a wonderful collection of vintage ephemera and other curiosities (you can see studio photos on my FB page). I begin most often by gathering pieces and objects to see how they "speak" to me. After some playing with composition, I begin to build the piece, interweaving the elements between layers of luscious encaustic. I add color, imbed ephemera, scrape and score the wax, add oil stick, transfer images onto the wax, all in an organic way, letting my materials inspire my actions. Often, I don’t know until I’m done, what the piece is meant to say. I tend to go to my books of poetry or lyrics of favorite musicians to find something that matches the painting's mood to pull a title for the piece.

I do work on commission, so please ask if there is something you would like me to create for you out of beautiful encaustic medium.