Layered Beauties is an evolving series, a combination of painting and drawing, with a central emphasis on layers. I use multiple layers of paint and ink to create depth, and to imply the past. The layers of paint metaphorically represent the history of someone and what we know about their experiences. The process of weaving the semi-transparent layers of paint is the most exciting, the constant applying and wiping of paint is a form of tug of war with the canvas and artist.  The battle is to decide how much of the past will be exposed through the top layer. 

Mothers, sisters, and friends serve as the inspiration for the Layered Beauties paintings. Many people have been positive influences in my life and I wanted to celebrate a few of them. I asked each woman to model for a photograph.  From those photographs, I worked in acrylic paint and ink to accentuate a layered look. The media serves as a symbol for countless volumes of life experiences. The weaving of semi-transparent paint and ink represent fear, heartache, courage, and triumph that the beauties have endured.

Morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. This includes aspects of the outward appearance (shape, structure, colour, pattern), as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs. 

The purpose of these pieces was to create an abstract body of work that concentrates on fertility by utilizing imagery from biology, specifically the female anatomy, and botany. I use mixed media to morph art and science together in a complimentary composition. The work is a hybrid between old botanical illustrations and biological diagrams of anatomy, with new interpretations of form, line, and color.  I use imagery from books, the internet, and personal experience.  

The circle of life was introduced to me while growing up on our Midwest farm, and now has made me conscious of my own existence since. At times, I feel out of touch with nature, due to my current living conditions. I live and work in a sterilized, urban environment. My house, my classroom; my surroundings, are manmade buildings devoid of the organic world. I am not as intimate with it as I was when I was younger. My art helps me revive those sensations and pull them into the present.  I am able to figuratively step outside of the manmade walls that surround me and enter a world of my own creation, one that blooms with images that combine the past and present, the real and unreal, the natural and the synthetic.     

I grew up in the small town of Rosendale, Wisconsin, and raised in a lower middle class home. My father was a farmer and my mother was a factory worker. Their income was barely adequate to provide for three children—myself and an older brother and sister. While scraping out a living on that small Wisconsin farm, I learned that nature was in control of our humble existence. We relied on it to provide the means for us to survive. A drought or severe storm could destroy our crops in an instant, so it was important to value and care for the environment. I developed a great deal of admiration and love for nature while growing up on the farm.  My most vivid childhood memories are the ones that include the sights, scents, and touch of nature. The rural landscapes were rich in color with blooming wildflowers and rolling green fields.  I distinctly remember the sweet, yet earthy smell of leaves on a crisp autumn evening. One of my most beloved memories is climbing the maple tree in our front yard. I would dig my fingers and toes into its craggy bark as I scampered up its brawny limbs. The rough trunk was stimulating and instilled me with wonder unlike any of the factory-made toys. Today when I am outside and feel the sensations of nature, it takes me back to that small Wisconsin farm. My past and present intertwine and inspires me to create art that pays homage to the natural world and all its amazing textures, colors and sensations. The pieces in Textures: an Exploration in Paint and Mixed Media are an interpretation of nature and its many textures. This series involves real and perceptual textures embodied with paint. The pieces emphasize nature and struggles of life.