Artist's Statement

July 21 - October 4, 2008

Humble triangles on a dress or in the weaving of a basket or the very sophisticated brick walls of Iranian towers share an ability to make us wonder what they mean, because like moths or butterflies, we are attracted to an abstraction that seems to be devoid of cultural specificity. It is only meant to be beautiful. Oleg Grabar

The structures in my work are derived from typography and letter construction, printed texts, decorative type ornaments, logos and symbols. By drawing and re-drawing selected images, and making modifications to the original structure, elements are distilled to their most essential visual form.

Throughout the drawing process, forms shift between organic, calligraphic and emblematic. They are images that are seen in the context of the history of forms that precede them. My compositions allude to subtle currents or patterned movement that seem natural, scientific or mechanical. Figures collect, separate, merge and change within these patterns, assembling towards a fluid design.

Surfaces are created through a gradual process of accrued layering and then degraded through selective removal of specific parts. I work toward developing a seductively uncomfortable optical experience, emphasizing visual and textural differences where the figure and ground are equally present.