created space

My practice has centered on the exploration of sacred space, a study of the natural world and my communion with it. But as our world grew smaller during the months of 2020, I became focused on my immediate space and the rooms I inhabit. Can we create sacred space within our homes and furthermore, what brings life into this space?

My approach to these intimate portraits has been quite different from the larger landscapes I am accustomed to painting. The outside world is dynamic, there is movement, and my marks reflect this freedom and energy. In contrast, these small paintings have been a study of detail and the intentionality and efficiency of each brushstroke; the way a shadow darkens a baseboard, the slope of a chaise and its perfectly appointed pillow, the glow of lacquered walls in an empty dining room. There is a profound stillness to these highly edited spaces; for life is not imbued by the one who designed and created the space, but those who embody it.

Each painting feels like a meditation, a reminder of a season marked by quietness, solitude, and rest. This is not a season I would have chosen, but there are inherent gifts from shelter-in-place that I will carry with me. Without question, I will miss the stillness.