b. Pittsburgh, PA 1975

There is an uneasy relationship between humans and their ideas of the world that they live within. What is interesting is that we want to hold ourselves outside of the realm of nature and wildness despite the fact that we are its products. To me, it is all a life riot, a continual chain of war, birth, growth, dominion, death and more life. Simply stated, everything exchanges energy with everything and this is a great equalizer. It leads me to observe the similarities between varied life forms, cultures, and environments. For instance, planned communities with cul de sacs and slowly winding roads look as roots do flowing underground, stretching toward nutrients and shrugging around obstacles. Corporations have growth strategies that are similar in many respects to the way that plants, animals, and bacteria multiply and conquer. The ideas/images that provide much of the support for these observations range from seed propagation and horticulture to animal management, architecture, color theory, economics, and urban planning.

I spend a lot of time looking and taking note of growth/decline. It could be a small-cap company, a sprout, or a puddle that Im looking at. Once I see movement, I then create studies that are quite realistic and attempt to record form and color. After these exercises, I then usually move to a larger surface where I feel I have the room to experiment and create a new recipe or mixture of life elements/patterns.
These paintings are places where disparate forms and layers can converge and interact. Many of the forms seem familiar, but taken out of context they are hard to place, and therefore become less defined and more universal. The final pieces are hodge-podge worlds within worlds that let the mind wander to form new relationships and connections. Perhaps even breeding grounds for new ideas...

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