| Artist's Statement | My work is comprised of layers. Superficially, and yet importantly, metal combined with layers of painted mesh and canvas form a spectacle of color. I love the way mesh draws light into the work while simultaneously metal deflects it. Two opposing forces. As light filters between the strands of mesh, a bit of refracted magic can create the illusion that light emanates from the canvas. The work isn’t static; as daylight moves into dusk, and as incandescent light follows, colors and shadows shift. Layers of color are individualized when separated by space, floating as the observer moves, overlapping first one hue, and then another. Moiré patterns may gently move. To me layers serve as a metaphor for the complexities of being human and the opposing forces within each of us. We too are comprised of layers, those on the surface and those concealed. Layers of dreams, desires, loyalty, courage, altruism and love intermingle with layers we might wish didn’t exist: mistrust, intolerance, anger that pits family member against family member, one religion against another, and races against each other. Our layers include DNA traits and powerful automatic responses stretching back eons to ancient ancestors. There are also layers of being, of wonder, of curiosity, of searching, of an attempt to overcome our follies and to understand the core of who we are. And, perhaps there is one layer that remembers to marvel at this extraordinary gift of life in a wondrous, and still mysterious universe. |