I paint a tree or landscape as a metaphoric portrait in which we can see ourselves. In branches, fields and water are patterns of repetition and cycles of time that echo in our lives on levels both visual and innate. Through my paintings, I try to reconcile the strength and beauty with the vulnerability and decay faced by all living things — to simultaneously celebrate splendor while acknowledging its inevitable ruin.
I also explore issues of perception and memory. The desire to have another see through my eyes is a compelling motivation. To me, painting is a form of communication through which I try to convey my experience in a way that the viewer will see what I see and feel what I feel. I exaggerate or distort color, form and composition to emphasize sensations and elicit questions. Memory distorts reality by its very nature, shifting, selecting and discarding without conscious decision. The process of painting is like visual memory in action, with the ability and motivation for more deliberate choices.
My primary medium is oil paint on canvas, wood or panel. Paint is applied in many layers, building and adding nuance through color. Occasionally I layer acrylic paint with texture gels and crushed mica to create the effect of looking beyond a rock wall in the foreground. I often work with tiny brushes for fine detail. I find satisfaction in intricacy, because it appeals to me viscerally, and because it parallels some of the complexities I am trying to capture and express in my work.
Photograph by David Weinberg