STATEMENT

As a native Wisconsinite, our forests and lakes are an important part of my soul and are embedded in my work. Phases of life can be seen everywhere from the slender saplings and immense mature trees, to the ailing and fallen. In the quiet pools within the forests, ripples indicate life as insects, animals, and drizzling rain interact and disappear -- ephemeral events.

Invisible, interrelated forces, like photosynthesis, mycorrhizal networks, and transpiration, all related to climate change, are some of the underlying themes I explore through painting, mixed media, and installations.

I am fascinated by these hidden processes and the significant role that forests play in mitigating climate change. Like human populations, these critical ecosystems face existential threats from changing weather patterns. Yet, the rate of deforestation globally continues at a high rate. We need forests. Trees convert carbon from the atmosphere into biomass through photosynthesis. They help regulate the local water cycle by sipping ground water up through the tissues to the canopy, and then exhaling through leaves. Vast networked root systems stabilize the soil, reducing erosion and flooding.

The visual stimulus for my work comes in part from the heightened sensations I experience while hiking and kayaking. Surface and color are important in my paintings where I develop surfaces to enhance the play of light and color like nature’s textures. I work in a wide range of sizes and formats from intimate oval paintings on birch panel to large two-dimensional works and immersive installations that surround the viewer in a place of wonder like the forests that I love.