Having spent the last four years as a non-traditional college student I learned what it is like to struggle to achieve success. During those years I maintained a marriage, survived on one income, commuted to school daily in excess of 200 miles, and witnessed my father’s long illness and death at age 58. Through all of this I have learned to cope with the path I am destined to travel and my paintings reflect this struggle toward acceptance.
Part of my process is studying the Eastern philosophy of the Way (Tao) to provide me with the basis for the ideal way to think and live but my western upbringing and mindset make it very difficult to achieve. The Tao’s ideal is acceptance without resistance and its followers believe that living harmoniously and accepting the blending of nature and spirit is essential to one’s well being. Through the use of controlled paint application, mark making, limited color palette and divided panels I use the materials to speak of the solemn, individual struggle each life is.
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