“The Play series is my newest body of work. For the last handful of years, the pandemic and the political divide in this country had guided my previous work in a specific direction. The atmosphere around me seeps into my work, and I welcome that. While my work is not about those things, the energy and emotion are borrowed from them.
Once we began to emerge, I welcomed the renewed vitality that surrounded me. And from that spark, I created the Play series. The series consists of twenty-four pieces— fourteen oil paintings on canvas and ten works on paper. They range in size from 8×10 inches to 42×42 inches.
This series focuses on the idea of play and the emotions involved in the act of playing. We often forget the importance of relaxing the mind, of letting go of our troubles, of being in a state of joy.
In these paintings, I try to capture the sensation of carefreeness I had as a child simply playing. My use of color, shape, design, and texture all contribute to the painting’s ability to convey that sensation.
My use of oil pastel and oil stick is something I have developed over years. I love the direct contact I have with the surface utilizing the oil stick or a stump or even my fingers.”