I make paintings to capture the spirit of a thing, engaging memory, sensation, and emotion to create abstract landscapes. Drawing inspiration from the woods around my home, religious iconography, and motherhood, I take to details that ignite reverence, grief, and reflection. I’m drawn to earthy, fleshy textures–dirt, plants, bark, decomposing matter, insects, light, water. Imagery that emits cyclical decay and persistent life are particularly fertile ground as starting points for the work. The paintings emerge as I digest these encounters with nature. My process is intuitive and materially driven. Compositions unveil as I manipulate the paint, moving and removing strokes until forms are found, welcoming surprise and loss as I go. Sweeping, thin brushstrokes coalesce to vaguely suggest forms. Gesture and texture take precedence over rendering–the effect of the brushstrokes themselves guides the painting. Subtle moments of melding marks and overlapping color construct the final work, forming a composition that is suggestive, but welcoming of contemplation.