Nominated by North Park University Much of my work explores the movement of paint in relation to the body and the poetic possibilities of abstract painting. In the making of my paintings, each mark is attentively added in response to what is occurring within the piece. The finished state of the paintings, as they are presented, convey the rhythmic and contemplative qualities of the process. Without a preconceived meaning established when beginning a new painting, the significance of the piece is often revealed in its continuously unfolding results. The early, gestural process informs the rest as the painting builds up. Marks that vary in ways that are both big and small, transparent and opaque, clean and messy, or fluid and abrupt, creates a multi-layered experience for the viewer. Viewing the work becomes highly engaging with the emergence of color and space. The in and out flow of excitement, frustration, and meditation in the making of the paintings are elevated by their abstract nature. Unbound to the need of achieving a specific visual language, the paintings are comparable to poetry. Each piece requires spontaneity, discovery, and reflection in the process of making. By making an image that isn’t tangible to anything else in reality, much like poetry does with words, creates a rich viewing experience. The result of each piece is then open to an interpretive emotional response that is unique to each viewer. Image: Mountainous Movements, acrylic on canvas, approximately 18”x24”, 2018