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Sometimes the term, "it's complicated" is the best way to describe a relationship or a thought process. Sometimes we have to navigate through a tangled landscape of emotions before we can see the truth in a situation.

Lately, my life has been complicated, my time fragmented, my emotions vacillating between euphoria and despair. And if art mirrors life, you might be able to read a lot into my recent paintings. Between the calm serenity of “Winter’s Last Light” to the tumultuous tangle of “Complicated Bison” I sometimes feel like a ping-pong ball. Really, although I don’t have the condition, I can relate to those who are Bi-polar.

I’ve been playing around with the concept of seeing the patterns in randomness. As humans, we are hard-wired to do that – to look for repeating shapes, overall design; it’s how we make sense of the world around us.  These painting begin with a cacophony of calligraphic brush strokes applied vigorously, almost angrily, onto the canvas. It is sort of like diving into cold water versus going in one toe at a time. By painting quickly and without thought, I am able to become fully immersed in the moment. And if I find I’m in over my head – well, I better figure out how to swim!

Here’s a work-in-progress:

The "wild" stage done, I will now start the process of finding/creating patterns within the untamed wilderness.  If you look at my other abstract paintings, you can see how this concept is progressing – “If You Could Read My Mind,” “A Few of My Favorite Things” and “Elephant in the Room” all began quickly with random brushstrokes. I’ve also incorporated the tangles into more “representational” pieces like “The Mystic’s Dream” and “Fabled Fox” and even “Bear Dreams.”

Always evolving, always searching. "Pilgrim how you journey/on the road you chose/to find out why the winds die/and where the stories go." (Enya, "Pilgrim").