Grey Area was a solo exhibition at the Asheville Area Arts Council in 2002. The following is the artist statement written for this show:
“Painting has become a metaphor for living life and a personal way of taking stock in the subtle changes in my attitude about living.
This search is the subject of my latest works, and has been a common theme to my paintings over the last 10 years. Formally, these paintings are comprised of roughly drawn ladders, poles and wires situated in an empty landscape or undefined space. These objects connect land to sky, define spatial conflicts and often echo the picture plane with drawn lines connecting to the sides of the work.
The paintings currently on exhibit illustrate a variety of experiences or emotions common to people in our culture such as responsibility and obligation, disappointment, ambition, etc. The drawn and painted forms are used in combination to symbolize these ideas. For instance, the cloud and ladder combination describes personal conflict and the futility of choice.
Conceptually, the dark masses above and below represent two perspectives about a current situation. These masses hold different positions and therefore have a different viewpoint, however, both belong to the same landscape and are essentially identical. The ladder represents the choice to change from one perspective to another…the active force. The ladder is caught in the illusion of the landscape and accepts the idea that the masses are different. The journey on the ladder from one mass to another reveals their similar nature as well as the futility of the ladder itself. Together, the dark masses and the ladder illustrate the conflict between being content with what you have and the need to pursue what are perceived as greener pastures. The physical nature of the painting as object becomes an ironic two-dimensional illusion representing a conceptual illusion.
The making of these paintings is a constant physical reminder to me to stop and assess, to be careful in what I seek, and to appreciate what I have available to me now. With this perspective, the act of painting continues to hold value.”
