Compliments: These recent mixed media paintings on wood were conceived as "compliments" to my recent portraits. I wanted to focus on the elements that usually play a role secondary to the figures, faces and textiles. As with the portraits, I utilize a variety of painting and drawing mediums to create a richly diverse set of textures within each painting. Sheer, metallic ink allows wood-grain to show through the background and creates a luminous base that is reminiscent of stained glass and illuminated manuscripts. My focus in these, however, is the flora and fauna that are my usual accompaniments.
Integrations: This series of paintings began in 2003 while in New Zealand. They were conceived as a reaction against a common pitting of nature against technology. I wanted to literally paint-a-pretty-picture of what I conceived as the "integration" of technology and nature. Inspired by an exhibit of Japanese kimono textiles, I sculpted the surface with modeling paste, then layered drawings of circuit boards with lush paintings of cherry blossoms.