“WEIR SERIES”
My abstracted seascapes explore the subtle edges and relationships between abstraction and reality. This series of paintings began as a result of my research related to fishing weirs, which were once a fixture along the coast of Maine and had their origins with the Micmac and Passamaquoddy tribes. Today, very few are used and can only be seen Downeast around the Eastport area or around Grand Manan and Deer Island, Canada. Weirs are comprised of a series of wooden stakes driven into the bottom of the ocean, tied together and sheathed with fishing nets. They are generally configured in circular patterns with a gate-like opening facing shore. This design traps herring at high tide as they move along the coastline. At low tide fishermen would enter the weir and seine the herring out.
At times my weir paintings include superimposed elements of the Maine coastal environment such as horizon lines, marine equipment and drawings of boat hulls, all very powerful symbols of the coastal Maine, which speak to its tradition and heritage. Living in Maine and working on the ocean has stimulated a natural synthesis between my artwork and the environment, which is expressed through a deep attachment to a sense of place. I work with many different media including encaustic, acrylic, and oil to capture the sense of energy I find out where water meets sky.
“Area Below Water Series”
My ongoing series of paintings and digital work that began as a result of my experiences as a mooring diver off the coast of Maine, in Casco Bay. Throughout maritime history, ships have been moored using granite blocks, chains, ropes and anchors. On a regular basis I leave the safety of a boat to go beneath the sea to inspect and repair mooring systems.
I am interested in investigating the variations in color while being surrounded by and submerged in the ocean, sometimes at depths of up to 60 feet. The energy of water and how it impacts the mooring chains that I inspect and work on, fuels my imagination and saturates my artwork. My paintings in this series range between 5 and 24 inches square, with several 48” square paintings in progress. My videos and digital images are projected on a much larger scale directly onto walls, floors and ceilings. On a small scale they offer intimate meditations and on a larger scale they provide viewers with the sense of energy I find when I am under water. Through these variations in scale I want to convey what I believe many people both fear and dream of when they think of the ocean… the deep and mysterious power of the sea.