ARTIST STATEMENT

 

I make art to connect. To connect with life. 

Life, to me, is a thread of vitality and energy that connects everything. Invisible in our everyday experience, and revealing itself only when we pay enough attention, it is beyond words and beyond any divides. My art is an expression of this universality.

I usually start with script-like marks in my art that are not part of any language and are universal by nature. I then continue to build layers by responding to the energy and flow of each mark and brush stroke. This process takes on a life of its own.

Layers in my paintings are the metaphoric representation of the layers we all have within ourselves. There’s a beautiful dance, a mysterious tease so to speak. It’s a representation of my experience between what we perceive and what is beyond. 

Patterns and symbols in my paintings come from a multitude of cultural and art influences such as Arabic calligraphy, Chinese calligraphy, ancient languages, Indian textiles, and graffiti walls.

I paint black edges on the sides of finished artworks to symbolize the painting process. To me, black is the color of nothingness. It represents the way an artwork takes a visual form from nothing (edges) to something (artwork).

My work is an invitation to the viewer to observe beyond the surface, contemplate beyond logic, and experience beyond identity.