Silence prompts invented narrative.
Withheld stories from our past give rise to conjecture — a piecing together of history. With collaged scraps of ephemera and gestural marks of paint, I am able to confront what was left unspoken and grapple with what I choose to keep silent. The process allows for repair, reconciliation, and resolution. These newly imagined narratives unfold in both my study of landscape (personal, sacred place) and more abstractly in my mixed media compositions.
Using black and white photos from my family’s past or photographs from my personal travels as a catalyst, I rely on a process that is both intuitive and experimental, exploring and manipulating the limits of each medium. Once the first wash of watercolor has been laid, I allow the paint to puddle and drip, moving the paper from its fixed position, allowing and inviting “accidents.” I respond with gestural marks and collaged elements building layers, working intentionally, but allowing for improvisation and some dissonance. Pieces shift and move until the relationship between the layers forms a cohesive story, a resolved narrative.