Artist Statement

Art begins with perception but perception is influenced by knowledge. Discovering the influence of knowledge on my perception of objects, relationships, even my life has been the goal of my artistic expressions. Learning that an arm is not “an arm” but rather a series of abstract shapes shaded in a wide variety of colors has led me to believe that most everything we have labeled is not really what the label names but it, being whatever it is, is a much deeper and richer experience. Our minds tend to shortcut the process of observation and inquiry by creating a generic label (based on knowledge) and when we rely on the labels we no longer see. Learning to draw what I see and not what I think was the first step in discovery of the laziness of relying on knowledge. I continue to look at common everyday objects (such as people) and see the connections, the relationships, the conversations going on within each.