after interface painting, 2021, oil and acrylic on canvas, 48x60” _ Perceptually-based painting observing the Interface Painting, a responsive segmented object of acrylic, panel and shock cord, shown as the next image. The process involves layering observations in an effort to craft a meaningful abstraction created in the studio based on observing an object which contains colors and shapes based on interactions in the landscape.
interface painting (pink state no.2, hillside, ucross, wy), 2021, acrylic on panel with shock cord, 40x56” _ Emerging out of a desire to investigate fleeting color interactions and the shifting topography of forms in the landscape, segmented sculptures have been created to interface with undulating surfaces and organic volumes in order to emphasize these subtle visual events. The segmented sculptural forms responsively shape themselves to the surfaces they are placed upon in order to visually highlight their structural qualities in a tactile way. The surfaces take on contextual color and shapes recalling their previous environmental conditions. In effect, the artworks intimately record their history of interacting with the landscape. At times, the colors get so close to their environment that they generate their own sort of subject-specific camouflage and merge with the landscape.
03 interface painting (graphite state no.2, ozark in snow), 2020, acrylic on panel with shock cord, 40x48” _ This image shows the object in the environment on the left and a gallery installation on the right.
interface painting (sunset state no.1 & 2, hillside, ucross, wy), 2021, acrylic on panel with shock cord, 36x56” _ This image shows two views of the same object at different states. The left image shows the color interacting with the sunrise, while the right image shows additions the incorporate a later instance of relationship with the rock and distant hills.
interface painting (green state no.2, above cloudline, blue ridge mountains, nc), 2021, acrylic on panel with shock cord, 40x56”
freeze casting set (grand marais, mn), 2020, temporary frozen fabric sculpture, dimensions variable _ Inspired by the drawing or painting idea of a volumetric gestural sketch, fleeting sculptural forms are created by freezing fabric while wrapped around elements in the landscape. These sculptural forms are then removed from their original context and photographed to document them before they collapse. Their temporary nature and precarious sense of balance are meant to mirror the shared nature of the landscape which I am striving to heighten.
current casting set, 2019, wax, dimensions variable _ In an attempt to capture water current, transitory sculptures are created by pouring liquid wax into water resulting in intricate castings of flux. The current of the water and changing surface topography manipulate the wax as it cools and solidifies resulting in shifting fragile forms.
color studies (new town creek, new york city, ny), 2019, acrylic on aluminum, 10x10” each _ This particular work was completed in New Town Creek in New York City which was designated a superfund site in 2010 due to pollution levels. Originating from the desire to explore the effects of water on color, this project begins by creating a color-field painting which is then submerged under water in order to observe the color change that the given body of water produces. While the painting is submerged, the resulting color that is observed from the surface is mixed to produce a new color-field painting. This process is then continued with the newly mixed color to create a series of color gradations until the color no longer changes or the painting disappears when submerged. At each step the submerged painting is photographically documented and reproduced as a photographic print to be displayed alongside the original physical painting as a completed piece. \ The resulting work is a poetic insight into the particulars of a site, specifically water health in this instance. Previous engagements with this project result in a vibrant green at the end of the sequence, where due to particulate, and other qualities of the water, the ending color panel became a dark gray.
land harp, 2019, piano wire, walnut, tuning machines, piezo contact microphone, audio cable, dimensions variable _ The Land Harp project involves a custom-built instrument which allows the landscape to produce sound compositions. With a form stemming from a series of paintings and drawings, this project has always been thought of simultaneously as a visual installation as well as a musical instrument. Secured to a sturdy form in the landscape, the walnut body of the instrument is outfitted with tuning machines and an internal piezo contact microphone. Piano wire is strung from the body of the instrument and secured to the bottom of the creek bed where the current of the water vibrates the strings at different pitches depending on the line tension, speed of the water and if anything happens to come in contact with the wires. As recordings progress, the current of the creek gradually alters the tuning of the instrument, producing subtle variations in tone and results in an overall composition. The recordings were then minimally arranged and equalized to best complement the tonalities and shifts produced by the landscape. The resulting work is a study within the constant flux of landscape, a study of its pacing and intervals.
land harp (excerpts), 2019, video with audio, 3’00”
Headphones recommended. Various excerpts from recordings made naturally by the instrument with no further effects or processing.