Medium: Collage, acrylic and mixed media

Size: 24” x 24”

As an intuitive painter, I try to give myself the latitude to go with what comes. I want to explore ideas and get lost in the creative process. Oftentimes I don’t know what my own visual voice is going to say until it starts to appear. I work in acrylics because this medium allows me to add and subtract layers

and get a little messy. Spray paint is often used as a foundation color because of the structure it provides. I make marks with chalk, graphite, pastels and other tools to give my work depth and interest. As I work, I’m always thinking about shapes, lines, color and their interrelationship. I’m searching to see if something dynamic is starting to happen. Nature has an influence as does everyday life experiences. I try to give myself plenty of solitude so that I have time to daydream and recharge. My motivation is internal; painting is just something I have to do. Non-representational art allows me the freedom of expression and the viewers their own interpretation.

The submitted work, Sugar Beets and Cigar Binders, gets its name from copy I took from the Crop Production Report, US Dept. of Agriculture, 1981. A book I bought at my local used bookstore. The idea of sugar beets was the main inspiration but I wanted to keep the painting from becoming too saccharin so I juxtaposed the cigar binder copy and used gray to keep it in check; besides I think it’s a quirky touch.