My current work includes mixed-media paintings on paper and on canvas. The combined materials of acrylic paint, chalk pastels with oil paint stick, and graphite create an intensity of color layered with pattern and texture.
Imagery is derived from direct observation and invention. Inspired by a poetic impulse to examine the language of painting in the immediacy of daily life (a literary impulse partially inspired and partially unavoidable by sharing space with the poet Charles Alexander).
Repeating motifs include natural elements of the Southwest desert region: pomegranates, antlers, birds, and pinecones from the mountains, as well as simple houses, furniture, and household goods. Patterns and objects depicted reference art works as diverse as William Morris wallpapers, Guatemalan pottery, Ukrainian folk art, and Native American textiles.