Contemporary paintings inspired by the beauty of nature.
Summer in Wellfleet
Our summers on Cape Cod are at the core of my art practice and who I am as a person. From working on new paintings, to exploring new techniques, to just sitting quietly looking out at the ocean, this is the one place on earth that continues to fuel and fortify me.
This summer, my daughter and I have been learning about Cyanotypes, an early photographic process where the prints are activated by the sun. We forage along the dunes for interesting leaves and botanicals, and then lay them on the prepared paper and let the sun do the rest! It’s an excellent practice in composition, as well as recognizing the beauty in small things, even if it is a feather or a dandelion.
I enjoy riding my bike down to The Frying Pan Gallery to see my work, as well as the other wonderful artists represented here. I have begun to get to know them and enjoy talking to them about their process. As the oldest art colony in the country, Wellfleet is brimming with artists, so it’s a great opportunity to share ideas and connect with likeminded people.
Perhaps the most distinctive element of the Outer Cape is that it has remained mostly unchanged over the 40 years I have been coming here. Thanks to the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore established by President Kennedy in 1961, it remains an unspoiled and wild landscape unmarred by development. It is an ever-present gift, rich with wildlife and pristine beauty. I feel a deep sense of gratitude to have spent so much of my adult life here.
Diving into Oil and Cold wax
Oil mixed with cold wax, a beeswax and resin mixture, allows for the buildup of many layers, creating an extraordinary richness, visual depth and beautiful transparency. It is in the building up and then scraping back of these layers that a complex history of experience and meaning emerges that I find very satisfying in my work. I find the process to be a metaphor for living, with all of our experiences informing who we are – unique and perfectly imperfect.
Exploring Mixed Media
Working in mixed media provides the opportunity to build a rich history using a fusion of paint, fabric, newspaper and other found papers, as some elements recede into the background while others are built on top. I find mixed media to be wonderfully spontaneous, generating beautiful and complex textures as the paint and collage elements are layered and then sanded or scraped back again and again.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts