My work, both in painting and sculpture, involves networks of intricately connected, overlapping, and morphing shapes and patterns, reflecting the complex and ever-changing nature of one’s own consciousness.  The visually overwhelming nature of the work is handled intentionally as a means of disrupting the viewers cognitive awareness and suspending them in a space that is both familiar and bizarre.  It is in this liminal space of pure novelty where I believe human consciousness is able to open up and integrate with the “All That Is” in a manner that is both harmonious and dissolving of the personal ego-structure that we use to navigate day to day life.  The themes in my work concern themselves with universal questions and problems, such as: what is the nature of consciousness, what is the nature of reality, and the inherent difficulty that comes from being both sentient and mortal.  My work is ultimately about this exploration of the space outside of physical reality, what is beyond death, and the potential that successfully working through these questions has in developing Compassion, Love, and Altruism.  It is not my intention to bludgeon the viewer over the head with explicit maxims and dogmatic statements, but rather, to take advantage of people’s natural curiosity and lead them to the rabbit hole.  This allows ample room for a sense of humor, whimsy and playfulness that is essential to the overall success of the work.

 

               The work is designated into two categories: Artifacts & Portals.  The Artifacts are objects that one may navigate around in three-dimensional space and are further sub-divided into two categories: Wood Carvings meant for Grounding and Centering, and brightly colored fiber/mixed media sculptures for Contemplation and Exploration; the former represents the aspects of consciousness relating to matter and the latter represents the aspects of consciousness relating to spirit.  The Portals are wall pieces, either paintings on canvas or stretched hand woven elements with mixed media embellishments.  The Portals are to be looked into as one would look into a mirror or pool of water when scrying (divination) or achieving a state of no-minded-ness (meditation); when approached from this perspective, the viewer may use the overwhelming or hypnotic imagery as a means of accessing higher dimensions.  This is all for the purpose of transcending beyond an Ego based mode of interpreting reality through a dualistic lens and opening oneself to a place where integration into the Collective Consciousness is possible.