In my work I explore the relationship between violent destructive impulses in the world and the power of spirituality through art to overcome them. I feel that there is a delicate balance between the natural forces, human impulse (destructive and constructive), and an underlying spiritual presence in the world which assists in turning destructive aspects of our behavior into peaceful ones, the outcome being beauty and harmony. This struggle is manifested and presented in its final form in the finished piece of artwork. Each piece that I make, whether it is a sculpture, painting or drawing on wood, is a result of this process.

I begin with a choice of material- a piece of acrylic, a found piece of drift wood, a sheet of gold and silver leaf. I take this raw material and begin to manipulate it in accordance with its characteristics. I do not look to transform these characteristics, but rather to work with them to produce effects that are integral to and highlight their natural beauty. It is the beauty that intrigues me- the power of the art-making process to create- a process also reliant on spiritual intervention. It is Art’s power to connect with the spiritual realm that fascinates me, as it was portrayed throughout history, particularly the Middle Ages.

The panels of wood with silver leaf deal with religious subject matter, drawing iconography by analogy from Early Christian and Byzantine texts. In these texts, gold and silver leaf are used to embellish the subject matter and glorify it by sheer beauty and value. The luminous quality of the material also flattens the surface, emphasizing its two-dimensional quality and at the same time reflect it, creating the illusion of depth or dimension. The effect is literally meant to represent the spiritual world. My panels deal with this idea, breaking away from depicting these subjects in a figurative form. The shimmering surface of the material creates an illusion, an ambiguity as to the exact position of tangible surface of the panel. It is conceptual in the way that it questions the meaning of space as a physical, tangible form, and challenges our experience of perception from the physical to the spiritual.

Against the silver leaf, which is cool and ethereal, I contrast the marked, darkened and more expressive raw quality of the wood itself. The methods of application are applied by scratching into the surface, slashing, gouging or applying dark smudged color to reassert the tactile quality of the surface. Sometimes these marks have been made by burning out holes in the wood with fire, or shooting through acrylic with a gun. The cool unmarked quality of the surface lies in contrast to the raw physicality of the mark making. The marks express raw emotion, pain and also suffering. They remind us of our humanity and that we ourselves are often imperfect and broken. It is through creating these visual “prayers” that I aim to overcome these feelings and tendencies in my own life and seek peace and healing through their expression.