Yellow Trunk Acrylic/Vinyl/Wood 90" X 52"

Trees and other natural forms in old growth forests and near rivers have long inspired me. Of particular interest are the trees at the Falls of the Ohio River, where dramatic changes in the water level result in exposed roots and gnarled branches. As I paint the visual variety of this environment, it seems to call up metaphorical comparisons to all of us, in life’s struggles.

            The translucent qualities of these paintings allow you to see them from both sides, to see others through the paintings, and to enter into the imagery through the shadows. This new work emerged from my experimentation with painting on glass and clear vinyl, and the sue o light and shadow. It breaks the boundaries of the two-dimensional canvas and continues the image on the wall and floor. To make the frames for the paintings, I lashed together wood washed up at the falls – driftwood and branches which have had the bark stripped off by beavers. I hope my work engages the viewer in multiple experiences: “stepping through” the painting into the environment which inspired it, picking up details of stone and leaf, looking at the ground at one’s feet in new ways, and enjoying the liveliness of color and light which I see when I paint.