My paintings are illustrations of the concept of memory, evoking an enigmatic mirage of emotion and nostalgia through the complexity of pattern, color and texture. Recently, I have become fascinated with Dick and Jane books and the crudeness of words when taken out of context. It is this play on innocence and odiousness that intrigues me. I work with romantic, lustrous colors of chartreuse, charcoal, lavender and cherry to evoke the mysterious delights of an Edwardian children’s candy counter, as well as the phosphorescent bottles of Belle Epoque aperitif liqueurs. The sinister that resides within the sweet. Likewise, the text within my paintings is faded and hidden throughout the layers.  

I begin each painting with a color of diluted, drippy paint, covering the entire canvas. Patterns start to form and ignite the next move. Objects begin to appear: tricycles, paper dolls and toy horses have emerged among the objects and focus of my latest work.  I build up layers of colors and patterns through oil, acrylic, chalkboard paint, and chalk, writing and drawing directly on the canvas. Although the emergent iconography is deliberate, it is entangled within layers of abstract shapes, textures, and color.