These images derive from photographs of my shadow and those of others, along with occasional images that turn up in dreams or in the act of painting. Most recently, I have collaborated with acclaimed Portland dancer and choreographer, Linda K. Johnson, to record the abstract images cast by her shadow while she moves and dances.
The paintings are created through a chemical process. In some, this process involves silver leaf oxidized with sulfurated potash fixed with Renaissance Wax (a microcrystalline wax) developed by the British Museum. In others, metallic paint is transformed through contact with acidic solutions. In each painting, I hope to navigate beyond ordinary experience while remaining grounded by the physical properties of paint.
The body of work entitled Elusives is inspired by early silver halide photographs taken by the Hubble Telescope, Carl Jung’s theory of shadow, and the Buddhist concept of impermanence.