A few decades spent creating editorial illustrations left me burnt out and yearning to make art that once again excited me. As terrifying as this pandemic was, I'm grateful it gave me time to revisit the type of art that always inspired me - abstract painting.

       

Truth be told – I’m a Type “A”, bona fide control freak, and my illustrations alluded to that point. I was structured and precise, deadline-driven, and accustomed to having concepts and design already laid out for me. Becoming an abstract painter forced me into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable space of unpredictability and playfulness. While many aspects of painting are under my control, what emerges once the oil and cold wax is laid down is often surprising. The freedom I’ve given myself to explore and create art that’s solely mine is both exhilarating and challenging. By building grungy, textural layers and then working back into them with tools and solvents, I’m allowed to learn and make mistakes and to grow as an artist for the first time in a long while. You’ll still find remnants of my illustrative past with the incorporation of sharp lines and collage, but it’s the push and pull of creating an oil and cold wax piece that motivates me to witness what emerges by the time the final layer of wax is applied.