Why I make what I make -

Printmaking involves problem solving and I love a good puzzle.  When I use multiple techniques on a single work the puzzle can get quite complicated- how to print with one type of plate without losing the detail of the first and still be able to apply a third technique that requires a completely different set up? Looking at my art, sometimes it’s obvious the order of the layers but often not.

Pushing through the complexity reflects my struggle to process grief.  It helps me to reconcile how the unrelenting sadness of loss can exist alongside joy and hope.  As a result, I am drawn to opposites.  They can be as simple as using yellows and purples, complementary colors.  Other opposites are subtle.  I use imagery that suggests the idea of being earthbound countered with imagery that relates to suspension or to upward movement out of darkness into light.  My focus is to find or create a connection between these opposites.

The working definition of a punchline is “the synthesis of incongruity”, the point at which a cognitive connection is made between opposing ideas.  It is my belief that order will be brought to chaos, that we are part of a meta-narrative that will culminate in a redemptive conclusion, that there will be a point at which the Universe will have its “Oh, I get it!” moment and everything will make sense.  My work is a reflection of my struggle to understand how to patiently live in a physical, earthly state now while catching glimpses of the other world we long for.