ocean fields

I created this series of large scale oceanscapes at Point Reyes National Seashore. The drips and marks are influenced by the abstract expressionists; however, the first inspiration is the ocean. I placed the canvases directly on the beach just out of reach of the waves. I like to be close to the water’s edge.

The ocean is a living breathing organism that cannot be contained, yet a painting is inherently an attempt to contain. In an act of both hubris and humility, I admit failure before I begin. The sand, wind and tide lead me in a dance. I react and follow. Sometimes “following” looks like closing my eyes and listening to the low hum of the surf before applying a fluid stroke of paint. At other moments it is a frantic scramble to pull the canvases away from the rising tide.

My embodied presence, and its limitations, become part of each painting. I struggle to keep sand off the canvas, my failure is imprinted into the paint. Strokes are dictated by my inability to reach sections of the painting from a certain angle. As the sun sets, I mix colors with memory and imagination to compensate for my waning eyesight. The final work is a commingling of human frailty with the grandeur of the ocean.

small works