‘As Yet Untitled’, Mixed media on wood panel, 20″ x 19″ x 2″, $750

EDUCATION

1971-1976 California State University, Northridge Studio Art, Cultural Anthropology

1961-1966 Painting Apprentice Art Education under Samuel Markitante

I make paintings from objects and sculpture from paint and my work explores different conditions of translucency. I have developed an art vocabulary of odd materials that I use to create objects, paintings, photo-inspired projects and installations.

Inspiration from the Arte Povera movement in Italy in the 60’s is strong in my practice. That phrase literally Poor Art, gives credence to the use of found, cast-off objects that always appear in my work. Another influence is just the act of looking-finding and appreciating things worn to a fine patina, things with history that need to be rescued. This idea is best verbalized by Japanese architect, Jun’ichiro Tanizaki in the 1940’s in his seminal and sweet book: IN PRAISE OF SHADOWS.

I make use of the paper ‘trash’ of spent tea bags. Like non-pigmented paint, as a material it is translucent and painterly without being paint. The tea stains provide chance marks that I create compositions with. The paper of tea bags is both a material replacement for paint in my collages.  I knit the string of tea bags and also stain my artwork using the tea leaves from used tea bags.

I use paint without pigment as a building material to create translucent skin-like forms that consist of many painted layers built between found skeletal armatures. The light and shadows that are magnified through the translucent membranes of the sculptures inform the pieces. The translucency allows space to become an object in and of itself.

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