CROSSLEY GALLERY

I am interested in making paintings of animals, birds and various creatures presented in quiet and peaceful compositions. Colors are selected by how these lifeforms exist in nature. Each animal is realized as artworks by fully rendering their natural colors. Feathers and fur are created with carefully placed brush marks. Set against a solid background color, the work avoids a setting and place. The absence of a background context places emphasis on the subjects. By intentionally leaving out grass, or fields, or sky, the subjects can be examined outside of their natural behaviors. This suspends the relationship in a space that the viewer must define. How do relationships change with their environments? 

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Part of how I paint is related to my perceptions of nature. The juxtaposed animals question complex behaviors they have or once had towards one another. Implied human behaviors are shown through these carefully rendered forms. These dependent and independent subjects take on the qualities of fragility, beauty and dignity. By examining these animals, via texture, color and stance, they take on a power and presence. Through them, I can better understand life's processes.