Artist Statement
I am intrigued by practices that bring unconscious
experiences into consciousness. The artwork emerges
while exploring the C.G. Jungian practices of Dream
Exploration, Active Imagination and Authentic Movement.
The artwork develops while exploring the awareness
practices of meditation and mindfulness, an attention to
the inner body of Body-Mind Centering, and the spontaneity
of Movement and Theater Improvisation,
These practices ask me to deeply reflect on what
matters in the world, and to me. The story paintings bring
visual form to the exploration of diversity, identity,
relationships, animal extinction, the environment and the
unconscious realm. These paintings juxtapose people
from various cultures and races, interacting with each other,
spiritual beings, and imaginary animal like creatures. The
images draw from a variety of cultural traditions,
mythologies and religious backgrounds,surfacing from the
personal experience of traveling, teaching and working
with diverse populations of people, as well as my
individual cultural background.
Inspiration
When I paint, I work intuitively, opening to the
unconscious through a deep listening. Some of the work
arises as I concentrate on bringing a quality of attention on
some impressive but unintelligible dream image. Such as
the dream image of a Native American Indian woman that
opens a door with apprehension, to a room full of imaginary
animal spirits as in the painting Visions. A sequence of
dream images, may ask to take visual form, for instance in
the painting Conjure, when I journeyed to Nevada, where
I dreamed of an eagle conjuring a sorcerer to create a ritual
where animals would slowly take form, and come back
from extinction.
Active Imagination as an artistic process is one of leaving
the external world behind, as figures ask to come into
consciousness and be known. A recurrent visitor is the
dragon, as in Dragon Protector, as creative muse in
Jamaican Splendor and as a flying witness in Cradled in
the Turbulence. The dragon is a mythical beast found in
Asian cultures, and in European folk traditions related to the
Balkans and Druid mythologies. Some of the mixed-media
artwork emerges from the materials, watching the watercolors
flow into each other, opening access to the flow of the imagination.
Some of the work emerges during an Authentic
Movement session no longer in image or dream but now
in my body, allowing the movement to happen, as my
psyche and body draw or paint between movement
experiences. During an Authentic Movement session a
woman in a burka appeared. She took visual form in the
painting Cloaked where a woman in a colorful burka is
surrounded by human and animal spirits giving her courage
and support.
The artwork can be fantastical, verging on the surreal,
where creatures interact with sorcerers, angels, Deva's or
nature spirits in imaginary environments. Deva's, and Nature
Spirits can be found in Hindu, and Buddhist cultures,
depicted in paintings such as Rising Spirit, or Water Spirit.
Angels can appear in the artwork as in Swooping Down
where an angel surprises a hybrid turtle and owl creature,
as she descends from the sky realm.
Some of the work arises after exploring theater or
movement improvisation scores, where figures appear,
converse, and play with other improvisers. After a group
movement and theater improvisation score, a painting
took form, where there is a journey past an alien, a
transparent horse like creature, traveling past a Native
American spirit guardian, and a dragon spirit guardian
in conflict, before Entering the Void.
The images in the paintings are juxtaposed, sometimes
whimsical and playful, calm and meditative, or expressive
of conflicting emotions.The paintings unfold, each piece unique,
slowly forming, with a playful logic that unifies, and yet
seems authentic. Each piece circles the veils between reality
and imaginary worlds, asking is this a dream, a memory, a
body sensation, a magical story, or a glimpse at something other.
Some of the abstract paintings develop during a Body- Mind
Centering exploration of my inner body systems. Visualizing
my full body, fluid filled internal organs, as in the painting
Bird Woman. Entering a cellular breathing body state and
experiencing the spaciousness of cellular consciousness,
where space and a thin fascial web surround the cells, and
then creating Floating Cells. Some of the abstract work is
created after mediation practice where a calm, peaceful
presence is embodied, and then takes visual form as in
Monks.
Once down on paper I can now see the unconscious or
collective unconscious made conscious and reflect upon it.
I do not always know the meaning, and each new viewing
allows further interpretation. A single piece can have a
weaving of references: personal, collective, global, memory,
dreams, rituals, body impressions, landscapes- past, present
moment and future. As I work on a piece I usually begin to
have a name or a story about the work. This bringing the
unconscious into consciousness keeps me engaged in the
piece. Quite often references overlap leading to multiple
associations. This multiple meaning making, flows through
the creative process, and applies when the work hangs on
the wall. The aim to is offer the viewer new perspectives,
and new creative understandings, My intention as an
artist is to invite the viewer to be curious, to move into a
space of their own imagination, and speculate about what
the artwork inspires in them.
I am intrigued by practices that bring unconscious
experiences into consciousness. The artwork emerges
while exploring the C.G. Jungian practices of Dream
Exploration, Active Imagination and Authentic Movement.
The artwork develops while exploring the awareness
practices of meditation and mindfulness, an attention to
the inner body of Body-Mind Centering, and the spontaneity
of Movement and Theater Improvisation,
These practices ask me to deeply reflect on what
matters in the world, and to me. The story paintings bring
visual form to the exploration of diversity, identity,
relationships, animal extinction, the environment and the
unconscious realm. These paintings juxtapose people
from various cultures and races, interacting with each other,
spiritual beings, and imaginary animal like creatures. The
images draw from a variety of cultural traditions,
mythologies and religious backgrounds,surfacing from the
personal experience of traveling, teaching and working
with diverse populations of people, as well as my
individual cultural background.
Inspiration
When I paint, I work intuitively, opening to the
unconscious through a deep listening. Some of the work
arises as I concentrate on bringing a quality of attention on
some impressive but unintelligible dream image. Such as
the dream image of a Native American Indian woman that
opens a door with apprehension, to a room full of imaginary
animal spirits as in the painting Visions. A sequence of
dream images, may ask to take visual form, for instance in
the painting Conjure, when I journeyed to Nevada, where
I dreamed of an eagle conjuring a sorcerer to create a ritual
where animals would slowly take form, and come back
from extinction.
Active Imagination as an artistic process is one of leaving
the external world behind, as figures ask to come into
consciousness and be known. A recurrent visitor is the
dragon, as in Dragon Protector, as creative muse in
Jamaican Splendor and as a flying witness in Cradled in
the Turbulence. The dragon is a mythical beast found in
Asian cultures, and in European folk traditions related to the
Balkans and Druid mythologies. Some of the mixed-media
artwork emerges from the materials, watching the watercolors
flow into each other, opening access to the flow of the imagination.
Some of the work emerges during an Authentic
Movement session no longer in image or dream but now
in my body, allowing the movement to happen, as my
psyche and body draw or paint between movement
experiences. During an Authentic Movement session a
woman in a burka appeared. She took visual form in the
painting Cloaked where a woman in a colorful burka is
surrounded by human and animal spirits giving her courage
and support.
The artwork can be fantastical, verging on the surreal,
where creatures interact with sorcerers, angels, Deva's or
nature spirits in imaginary environments. Deva's, and Nature
Spirits can be found in Hindu, and Buddhist cultures,
depicted in paintings such as Rising Spirit, or Water Spirit.
Angels can appear in the artwork as in Swooping Down
where an angel surprises a hybrid turtle and owl creature,
as she descends from the sky realm.
Some of the work arises after exploring theater or
movement improvisation scores, where figures appear,
converse, and play with other improvisers. After a group
movement and theater improvisation score, a painting
took form, where there is a journey past an alien, a
transparent horse like creature, traveling past a Native
American spirit guardian, and a dragon spirit guardian
in conflict, before Entering the Void.
The images in the paintings are juxtaposed, sometimes
whimsical and playful, calm and meditative, or expressive
of conflicting emotions.The paintings unfold, each piece unique,
slowly forming, with a playful logic that unifies, and yet
seems authentic. Each piece circles the veils between reality
and imaginary worlds, asking is this a dream, a memory, a
body sensation, a magical story, or a glimpse at something other.
Some of the abstract paintings develop during a Body- Mind
Centering exploration of my inner body systems. Visualizing
my full body, fluid filled internal organs, as in the painting
Bird Woman. Entering a cellular breathing body state and
experiencing the spaciousness of cellular consciousness,
where space and a thin fascial web surround the cells, and
then creating Floating Cells. Some of the abstract work is
created after mediation practice where a calm, peaceful
presence is embodied, and then takes visual form as in
Monks.
Once down on paper I can now see the unconscious or
collective unconscious made conscious and reflect upon it.
I do not always know the meaning, and each new viewing
allows further interpretation. A single piece can have a
weaving of references: personal, collective, global, memory,
dreams, rituals, body impressions, landscapes- past, present
moment and future. As I work on a piece I usually begin to
have a name or a story about the work. This bringing the
unconscious into consciousness keeps me engaged in the
piece. Quite often references overlap leading to multiple
associations. This multiple meaning making, flows through
the creative process, and applies when the work hangs on
the wall. The aim to is offer the viewer new perspectives,
and new creative understandings, My intention as an
artist is to invite the viewer to be curious, to move into a
space of their own imagination, and speculate about what
the artwork inspires in them.
