Second Chances

"Just This Once" 14x14 Encaustic

These two paintings are about time and its fleeting nature; we cannot grasp it, hold on to it. We need to enjoy every second that we have because we don't know if we will get a second chance in this life. The fact that there are two paintings titled "Just This Once" is but a paradox perhaps tricking us into thinking that we have extra time, or time to do things over, but the time is now!


Seize the Day!

"Just This Once II" 14x14 Encaustic

Chance or meant to be?

"Circumstance" 24x24 Encaustic

How much in life happens by chance? Or perhaps it was always meant to be... In the painting "Circumstance", a lot of the linear devices deliver the viewer through the work from one space to the next, from the top to the bottom. Yet there are many interruptions along the way...much like what happens in life. I have included this painting in my series "Fabrications" because it is about building and transition. But I question the idea of building; we make plans and we construct our lives and in my experience, most often these plans are frequently thwarted and it makes me think- Maybe there is a divine plan, a bigger picture...when I force my will, things don't work as I expect. I find my plan is always being interrupted for circumstance; yet is it chance, or was it meant to be? Or is there really a difference between the two? Perhaps they are one in the same. We can build so much on our own and the rest is left to, well, you decide...

"With Reservation" 30x30 Encaustic

This painting is very simple and to the point for me. Things in this piece seem to be spilling out, and in my experience in life, when I withhold things and keep my emotions inside of myself, things have a tendency of spilling over. There needs to be a fine balance between the things we share and the things we hold so that nothing is lost or compromised.

For the time being...

"Transformation" 24x24 Encaustic

This painting is about self awareness and self consciousness. The idea that through the smoky haze of life there are still structures and boundaries, there is still light, but things are not always clear. We need to search through the fog to build our own language of transformation and sublimation. We need to take risks and let go in order to grow in this life - oh, and make lots of mistakes!

"Meanwhile" 20x20 Encaustic

This work is about mending fences, in a metaphorical sense. Or you could say forgiveness. The question is, what does one do to maintain simplicity and encompass the light of the world, while still holding on to the darkness? In order to mend fences that darkness must fade over time. But meanwhile...the two can be nurtured in a mature, loving fashion.

The Things Closest to Us

"Forgiving I" Encaustic 18x18, "Forgiving II" Encaustic 18x18, "Forgiving III" Encaustic 18x18, "Forgiving IV" Encaustic 30x30

The thing about being human is that we make mistakes. People fail each other. But it is what we do with it that makes the difference. These paintings, titled, Forgiving, I, II, III, and IV are just about that. I have to point out the irony about my process of painting. It is a very internal, intuitive process. It isn't until I am finished with a piece or a series of pieces that I realize just what they are about. Such was the case with these. Immediately upon completion I understood that these paintings were about my processing an idea called forgiveness. Now, forgiveness doesn't happen all at once, I think it happens in stages, thus the reason for more that just one painting. Sometimes one goes through a stage of forgiving, and then takes some of it back. In my experience, it's tricky. And, the colors are no coincidence either. These colors of blue and orange, those opposite on the color wheel, signify hot rage and its opposite, cool absolution. I think I hold them together in my heart, and I wait patiently for the scales to tip into the blue, for I am human too.

Building

"She Spoke" 30x30 Encaustic: This painting is part of a larger series called Fabrications. "She Spoke" refers to the conversations we have when we speak about our lives. We create stories, in a sense. Each mark is a building block in our story. Some stories are built out of love and truth, while others are built out of lies and deception. But these conversations build and break down all around us. Some remain blurry,but they are constantly being fabricated.



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"Transitions"....12x12 Encaustic...is about feelings of wonder, confusion, and plainly being struck off-balance. Passing from one state to another, life is full of transitions. It has been my recent observation that, our constructions, if based completely on feelings will lead us astray. Transitions come to us when we see the need for truth and authenticity.

Fleeting...

Ledges I and II are titled so because of where I find myself these days, at the precipice, the edge, looking onward. The green that is bleeding through to the front of the paintings represents the growth and opportunity that is presenting itself in my life today. But mixed in with these mounting possibilities comes risk, fear, and vulnerability, hence the red. If I don't cross over that ledge, or jump, I will not find what's on the other side waiting for me, the unknown- captured in the white. But it is important to forge ahead and trust in the universe and its plan for me. Time is fleeting, moments come and go. Things are forever changing. Boundaries are crossed, even broken. Things are born, and things expire. Sometimes it seems that nothing is ever really tangible. But I believe that in this transience there is a place for love and humanity and that no matter what happens in my life, looking over that ledge doesn't have to be a solitary experience.

"Transient" 30x30 Encaustic