TERRA MARKINGS Paintings

Even when I start a painting with a strong image or concept in mind, it always changes through the process of playing with the media. Usually, I don't understand, or more accurately, see, the theme in a series of paintings until they are complete and I have a chance to live with them for a few months.

All of the works in this series have many layers, as I kept adding to them over time (in some cases, over years) until I came up with a composition that felt right and finished. The resulting textures from all the built up paint and other media looked to me like the surfaces of landscapes. I followed my instinct to carve down into the layers. Those markings reminded me of petroglyphs made by both ancient and modern man, but also of the physical scars humans leave on the earth (terra) as we manipulate it to give us what we need (and what we don't)—markings on the land that are especially evident when seen from an aerial perspective.