Collection
Collection is a series of five large oil paintings depicting detailed studies of the surface of rocks and fossils found on the shores of Lake Michigan. The inspiration for this work comes from a life spent engrossed in nature and an enthusiasm for detail. As a realist painter, I began to explore abstraction with this series, removing external context and zooming in on the subject so much that it became an ambiguous pattern. The surface of stone tells a story as old as time, as remnants of organisms preserved in mineral deposits that wash up on a beach allow us a window into the distant past. The process of creating these large scale images as paintings mimics the scrutinous hunt for rocks as it takes patience and a careful, vigilant surveillance in order to notice and capture tiny details. Through this series, I want the viewer to be able to find life in these objects, to give them time for consideration, to see them as valuable. By taking the time to study the small things with abundant curiosity, we learn there is so much to discover about the world we live in.