Evolutionary Soup - Series Statement
Each day during my residency in Portland, OR I would hike or run in the beautiful local parks. After getting lost a few times I finally managed to pick up a trail map to keep me on track. When I looked at the map, I was instantly drawn to the way the descriptive lines and contour shapes seem to mimic some type of primitive drawing.
I began developing my own set of marks based on the map’s curved, solid, dotted and dashed lines. The paintings evolved by laying down gouache and ink brush marks followed by graphite lines. Unryu paper was collaged over select areas and then covered with wax. The surface of the waxed areas was then scratched and incised and finally covered with luscious oil sticks. Narrow uneven brushstrokes of brown dye were added as the final marks.
When I returned to San Francisco, I expanded my reference material to include local maps from the SF Bay Area as well as 16th century European city maps. With each painting I continue to explore areas that most resonant with me: balance, tension, line work and negative space.