He and We are One, Two, Three. (The Riddles exist in Us. And We are all Riddles.)

2016, 36" x 48", oil on canvas

In my recent work I use the language of myth to represent intimate stories of the modern feminine experience. The series began as a process of personal catharsis and later expanded to include and depict other women. As it evolved, I asked creative women to collaboratively create compositions expressing their personal stories informed by fable and myth. I wanted the paintings to act as both sacred space for the characters to inhabit and safe spaces for them to reveal themselves to the viewer.

The title is an excerpt of a poem/riddle written by Meghan McCracken, the subject and collaborator depicted in this painting. Inspiration came from the picture book "Masquerade" written and illustrated by Kit Williams. In Meghan's words: "Without my father, I learned to be strong and broken. To survive with the feeling of faraway and the habit of holes. The space between where I created my own. A shade of blue, the color of shadows. A someone and her somethings."

White Butterfly, Transform Me (She didn't leave until his soul left to be with her)

2016, 36" x 48", oil on canvas

My work is fueled by collaboration, driven towards beauty, and preoccupied with the feminine experience. It explores the internal battles faced by women as we confront our culture, realize our unique identities, and compose our personal responses to the emotions that shape our lives.

This composition was created collaboratively with Miya Matsui, the woman depicted in this painting. The narrative we created is inspired by a trope from Japanese folklore in which the white butterfly represents a human soul, helping Miya process her grief regarding her brother's death. In Miya’s words: "I am no butterfly. As I feel I am constantly in that stage of transformation and flux... but trapped at the same time. Those whom I've/we've lost then take on the role of being these beautiful creatures carrying powers of love in their energy that we still wish to interact and play with, and also learn from."

I am a bird, You are a tree

2016, 60" x 36", oil on canvas

All of these new works, created in 2016, are for my upcoming show entitled “Do not Reveal Me”. I am interested in the conflict that emerges when the contemporary female experience collides with the narratives that we have inherited through myths, folktales and fairy tales.  In these compositions representing my personal journey, each painting contains a bird and a tree. For me, the bird symbolizes freedom, flight, return and beauty while the tree symbolizes endurance, rootedness, persistence, wisdom, strength and protection. Each work can be seen as an allegory for an emotional state of being (i.e. longing, loneliness, grief, contemplation, release). Likewise, each visual element in the works contains significance to the central figure and her story. This composition is an allegory of grief that comes with great loss. The crows, often a symbol of foreboding, attend the heroine in her mourning. 

Leaves of Three (Don't touch Me)

2016, 60" x 36", oil on canvas

In my paintings, reality merges with the mystical, allowing me to recreate historical fables and invented tales from the perspective of the heroines living the stories today. Though the details are particular to the individual female depicted, the overarching themes and emotional struggles are shared. I hope for these works and the female narratives within them to take on the importance and grandeur present in epic odysseys, reclaiming an ancient mode of storytelling as female and creating a new canon. In this composition, my figure lies in a bed of poison ivy as the shadow a bird of prey passes over me. The heroine finds herself naked and vulnerable, the shadow of the large bird may represent additional danger, or, perhaps, rescue.

Hummingbird love  

2016, 3 canvases, 24" x 24" each, oil on canvas

This triptych references a metaphor for types of love, either possessive love or open-handed love, willing to let go. Like a litmus test, I have found that some viewers “read” the arrangement top to bottom, seeing the capture of the hummingbird, while others follow the momentum of the upwards motion and see the hummingbird being released.  I had the great fortune of, after having the idea for this composition, being able to go to a hummingbird banding and being able to personally release about half a dozen ruby-throated hummingbirds, with photographer Tim Yarrington who has collaborated with me on many of these pieces. Photography has been an invaluable tool that allows me to combine locations and subjects that I could not physically bring into my studio during the creation of this series. Even more, it facilitates dialogue with my collaborators, translating ideas into a useful form of visual communication.

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)

2016, 36" x 60", oil on canvas

This series of self-portraits embraces the acceptance of magic as an everyday part of reality, which I experienced when living in Latin America as also reflected in the "magical realism" genres of literature and art. “I carry Your Heart” references an E.E. Cummings poem, and expresses the sentiments of that poem while exploring the implications of the small town life of my hometown. Small town society, though it has many benefits, can also result in a stifling environment for new or unconventional relationships. The lives of lovers are often on display and put on trial through the arena of public opinion as influenced by gossip and judgment.  This dreamscape explores the scrutiny of a woman in a scarlet dress in the narrow grey streets of small town America.    

I am chipped and cracked (waiting)

2016, 36" x 60", oil on canvas        

Many of the self-portraits in this series reference poems and letters written to me and by me in the last two years. The title of this painting and it’s content are taken from one of these poems of the same title. All of these works explore the creative space where words inspire images and images inspire words, in a conversation between poetry, prose and painting. In this work, absence takes center stage, becoming a palpable presence of its own right. This poem and the painting explore feelings of longing and the pain of patience as one waits, sometimes achingly and sometimes wistfully, for something that may not arrive.

To You from Me         

2016, 36" x 60", oil on canvas

I deliberately place feminine beauty as a central visual element in my work to celebrate its power and attract the viewer. Through the narrative depicted, I simultaneously challenge the viewer to look past the superficial beauty in order to discover the deeper emotions and strength of the character, and be curious about the particular narrative content of the work. These paintings appear simultaneously bold, confident and overtly self-conscious as they engage in the struggle between the need to conform to and the desire to rebel against conventional societal pressures.

This work is set in the Copan Ruinas of Honduras, an ancient Mayan site that is home to a flock of Scarlet Macaws. It was the perfect setting to create this composition, inspired by a poem that I wrote about the longing, even when you are happy exploring the world alone and following your own destiny, to share incredible experiences with someone with whom you share a meaningful bond. 

Like you the sky        

2016, 36" x 60", oil on canvas

This series of work is informed by a centuries-old tradition of depicting archetypal female forms in natural spaces through painting. Historically, such images have been created by men to appeal to the male gaze. My paintings are envisioned collaboratively with my subjects; the women within my compositions enter that domain with agency and consent as makers of their own meaning. I seek to continue the tradition of storytelling using familiar visual elements while elevating the content and process to examine the complexities and strengths of women today. Photographer Ashley Callaghan assisted me in creating the photographs that I referenced for this dreamscape, in which a shared sky can be a connecting force across great physical and metaphorical distances. The changing skies above us also can represent the multifaceted aspects of the states of love and of a lover’s personality. Emotions can take over your body and feel uncontainable, as vast as the sky.  

Endure (I breathe the song of your voice)

2016, 60" x 36", oil on canvas

The female subjects that are central visual elements in my compositions inhabit a sort of dream space, balanced between reality and the fantastic. This composition draws from imagery created collaboratively with photographer Ashley Callaghan on a river, canyon and waterfall hike deep in the jungle of Honduras. The riot of jungle foliage on the steep canyon walls creates a visual symphony, a meditation on texture and pattern, and the vibrant vital lushness of nature. This contemplative work is also inspired by an exchange of letters and poems, the title taken from a poem written to me about the experience of drinking in the sensory experience of a lover, and carrying a part of their soul with you even after parting.

Hummingbird love (I will protect you)

2016, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Hummingbird love (open hands)

2016, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Hummingbird love (you are free to go)

2016, 24" x 24", oil on canvas

Seraphim 1 – Guinea

2015, 42"x26", oil on linen

In my Seraphim series, I recreate these ancient creatures from the Judeo-Christian traditions with content from across the far flung places in the world that have been influenced, often forcefully, by those traditions. During my travels in Romania, Turkey, and Hungary I became intrigued by the many seraphim decorating the architectural details of very old Eastern Orthodox churches. Though they are angels with multiple sets of wings, their name comes from the same word as "serpent". This interesting paradox inspired me to create my own series of seraphim portraits. Seraphim 1 is created from the wings and tails of Guinea Fowl, the face of an East African woman, and the pattern of a classic Spanish Colonial floor tile.

Seraphim 2 - Macaw

Both paintings: 2015, 42"x26", oil on linen

Seraphim 2 is created from the wings of a Blue and Yellow Macaw, the face of a Northern European Woman, and a pattern from a French wallpaper. 

2016, 36" x 48", oil on canvas

In my recent work I use the language of myth to represent intimate stories of the modern feminine experience. Sarah Rockower was my subject and collaborator for this work, based on a song that she wrote and recorded called “Sally Dreams.” The surreal, dreamlike composition, set in her childhood bathroom with some of her treasures, depicts the feeling and elements of her song: “Sally went to bed, her hair quiet wet/Mommy went to bed, her head quite fed/She said go, go there now/ Billy tossed out his book and ran/ Ran down the street to the treasure can/ she said go, go there now/ Cloud I saw through you/Cloud you cover me but / Maybe I never saw you and/ You were never over me/ Sally Dreams of a wooden box/ Sally Dreams of a treasure can/ Sally’s bed goes to sleep quiet wet, Water goes to sleep fast on her head/ Soaks and goes, goes there now/ Goes there now/Goes there now”.