Artist Statement
During my entire life I have been compelled to make art. I am drawn to the landscape and to the working waterfront; fortunately, I live in Seattle where there is an abundance of both. Over the past few years I have observed the working waterfront from an unusual point of view; a small rowboat. As my arms guide the skiff slowly through the water, my eyes see a series of paintings in the hard-edged reality of the ships and barge hulls that confront me. The paintings I create back in my studio build upon those powerful images.
I see surprisingly beautiful, enormous, man-made objects that seem to float lightly on the water. But, over a long period of time, only the water will survive; what is man-made will disappear. The paintings emphasize the inevitable stages of decay. Ironically, the reflection of the hulls in the shiny surface of the water appears to forcefully penetrate deep into the water. That too is an illusion, like the objects themselves ultimately are.
