Artists have always been interested in recording nature since the first cave paintings. I, too, find environmental events and our human interaction with nature significant and fascinating. For several years in works on paper, mixed media paintings, and installations I have used the materials and tools of natural and urban environments – dangerous plants, soils, water, sunshine, wallpapers, oilcloths, paint, tattoos, hands, sticks, and horses – to trace this intertwining of nature and human history.
On daily bike rides, walks, and site visits I may record in drawings and photographs the shifting fog, the light changing colors on a wall, unexpected sightings of birds, animals and manmade objects, the destruction of a home, a high water mark, warning signs, or remnants of someone’s passing by. The process of being and working outdoors, whether in an urban or rural setting, provides me the opportunity to experience the topography, climate, time, and space in a physical way. My Texas childhood and many travels since then are rich resources for memories and experiences distilled and embedded in the work. A history of time and place is present in my work which also explores ideas of permanence, transience, and the relationship between beauty and danger.