Art making for me has always been as much about the process of creating an object as the presentation of the finished product. I conceive of the work and construct, develop and act upon it in every step of the process, from uncut board to finished canvas. Experimenting with materials and learning about the ways in which paints and different substances interact is to me as much a part of the painter’s craft as knowing how to mix a medium or blend a shadow. I see the possibilities of paint not simply in terms of color, but also in the infinite number of textures that can be created by its application and the incorporation of other materials.
This group of paintings developed from my fascination with the body, health and disease. By creating works that explored specific disorders of the tissue I was attempting to understand the ways in which our bodies begin to deteriorate with the passage of time. I am especially interested in processes of aging and in disorders by which the body begins to self destruct. That these syndromes result from a combination of genetic inevitability, exposure to trigger elements, and a certain amount of chance is fascinating to me.
There has been a definite evolution in the way that I approach these paintings. While the themes of aging and bodily decay continue to inform my work, and even my most recent pieces certainly make reference to cellular structures, my interest in creating them has become less about studying specific disorders and more about exploring my medium and investigating the play between the disgusting and beautiful aspects of the body. I begin each painting with a bold initial gesture: laying down an image gleaned from a medical text, pouring paint, or creating a texture on the canvas. This initial gesture and the colors used are very intentional, but in the process of creating a texture or spill, many unexpected and unpredictable things occur.
Whether controlled or left to chance, this initial gesture presents a number of problems which I then work to resolve through the subsequent steps of the painting process. Marcel Duchamp once said that the process of painting is like a chess game, in which our opponent is the canvas: we must analyze the move that has been made, and react to it in a way that solves the problems presented. This is how I have come to view my process as well. For me the creation of these paintings is playful, but each gesture is also made with a sense of urgency and a need to think on my feet, to make decisions based as much on instinct as on intellect.
The “dermal studies” I am presenting were some of the first works I made in response to these themes. They are the more literal and controlled pieces in this collection. I confined myself to a specific process and to a palate that such literal work required, but I quickly began to feel confined by the strict guidelines that I had set for myself, and so for my next group of works I chose to expand the process, materials and subject matter.
In the more recent group of paintings I have allowed myself more room to play with bold colors and with unconventional materials. By incorporating color that is beyond bright and slightly abrasive and including textures that glob and ooze, I continue to evoke the elements of the body that many find disgusting. Yet by creating paintings which are playful and lighthearted I question this kneejerk reaction of disgust, as well as our typical associations with disease.