My objective as an artist is to give viewers an individual and personalized experience with the sublime. I choose abstract art as a way to hopefully broaden the scope of my potential audience. Geometric abstractions and patterns, in particular, are intended to give my pieces definition and framework, without making them narrow and definitive.
We all recognize and experience patterns. The most complex realities--for example, our DNA--are represented and understood as repeating patterns. It's no surprise, therefore, that there is rich precedent for and a long history of using geometric patterns in art to connect viewers to the sublime, or a higher realm of thought and contemplation; from ancient artwork in Middle Eastern sanctuaries of the Abrahamic faiths, to mid-century minimalists like Agnes Martin. I aspire to be part of that tradition in a way that is personal and unique.
Pioneer quilt patterns are symbols of my cultural heritage. Not only I am the descendant of Mormon pioneers who crossed the plains but also my grandmother Donna was an expert quilter. Grandma Donna made award-winning quilts for regional competitions as well as for her grandchildren's weddings. One of her best quilts is framed in the entry-way of her home. It would often catch my childhood gaze when I frequented her home growing up. "How did she make that?" I would wonder.
Quilting is work that reveals its toil only on close inspection. That is the way I want my artwork to be. I believe it's a metaphor for a life well-lived. In my art-making process, I paint the same pattern several times in different colors until there are an indiscernible number of underlayers. The viewer may only see hints of the effort that is behind the final product but that is intentional.
The layers, the repetition, the colors, and the pattern itself are all avenues by which my work could be accessed by the viewer. My hope is that at least one of those avenues--perhaps with some prodding from the title--can help carry the viewer to a place of reflection. The nature of my work allows my art-making to be meditative for me personally. I wish the same for the viewer.
Represented by:
Interviews and publications:
Mormon Visual Podcast, Spring 2017