I came to art the long way. In the spring of 2011, I graduated with my PhD in English. I went into the program thinking that I would spend my life as an academic, but on the way I met with a few surprises–including the incomparable Professor Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, whose courses, such as “Victorian Textures” and “Zero, Infinity, Chaos, Sublimity” (where we, among other things, looked at poetry through the lens of chaos theory) changed how I look at literature and, by extension, life in general. In the “Zero, Infinity, Chaos, Sublimity” class she introduced us to paper marbling…and I was in love! I cannot get enough of trying new techniques, new color combinations, marbling on new materials–anything I can think of. One of the things I love most about painting with marbling paints is the fact that, no matter how much planning I put into it, I never know quite how the final image will turn out. That element of surprise is so much fun, and keeps me coming back for more again and again.
I use some of the same techniques in the acrylic paintings I do on canvas. I love pouring and swirling, tilting the canvas, sometimes even putting my hands directly in the paint to manipulate it. I love the almost infinite variety of textures that acrylics and acrylic mediums allow me to incorporate into my paintings. From marble dust, to pumice stones, to glass beads and beyond, I never get tired of discovering new possibilities for creating unique works of art.
More recently, I’ve incorporated similar techniques in making abstract photographs. I use light, reflection, and physical movement of the camera to create shapes and textures within the photos. My aim is to create photos so rich, vivid, and textured that the viewer will almost want to reach out and touch them.
Finally, I am working on a very long-term project that I’m calling “The City by Subway” in which I’m taking photos of the neighborhoods around every stop on the New York City subway. Those photos can be found in the “Blog” section of this website.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll leave a comment to join the conversation or just say hello.