Palimpsests

As an artist, I strongly identify as a sculptor because of my interest in the physicality of art; in its’ capacity to take up space and produce experiences grounded in the physical body’s relationship to space. Most of my two dimensional work is made from the leftovers of my three dimensional work. These are not studies or sketches for sculpture, but rather sustained explorations of materials on surfaces; how they behave under different conditions, what they can convey when “left to their own devices.”

In these works, I experiment with random processes, layering, stains, and erasure. As Palimpsests, they represent something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form. Canvases from other artists are sanded down and partially painted over; found papers are soaked with water and rusty nails left over from sculptures carved from pallet wood and allowed to dry over and over. Most of the works here are abstract, exploring markmaking and formal juxtapositions of colors and forms produced with used, leftover, and found materials. Other pieces are figurative or representational, using stencils and/or thread to “draw” on found and hand-made surfaces. These pieces (2018-present) are an exploration of how revelation and erasure, construction, and destruction are deeply intertwined.