In my most recent acrylic paintings, I have combined symbols of warning, such as traffic cones, “caution” tape and highway hazard barrels, with words and sometimes repeating patterns. The paintings are executed on camouflage fabrics and incorporate the original printed imagery as part of the new composition. Why camouflage fabric? I’m interested in camouflage as both abstract repeating pattern and as a description of foliage. Thus, my paintings are places where the manmade and the natural collide. Why warning symbols? The use of camouflage as a means of concealment and deception coupled with objects like traffic cones create a sense of an unspecified but imminent threat. I find that combination especially apt as a metaphor for our times.
My digital paintings, on the other hand, are done purely for pleasure. Whether I’m painting a glass of beer or a pebbled beach, I am enjoying the act of painting from observation for its own sake. The digital paintings are done on the iPad, which effectively means that I can paint anywhere. The ease and portability of the device allows me to paint in a way that is more spontaneous and less encumbered by the a search for deeper meaning.