When I start a mixed media collage I rarely know what it is going to turn out to be. I work intuitively and without reference. I am interested in building up textures with my materials and creating a series of layers that reveal the history of each one’s application. Often a collage is painted over, scraped off and reapplied in a new form. The repeated constructing and destroying and recreating builds a rich surface. The pieces are often finished with details, sometimes whimsical, always with attention to the subtle beauty of the mark. I use watercolor paper, Thai and Yupo papers, tissue and rice paper with acrylics, inks, chalk and oil pastels, charcoal, colored pencil, oil paint and cold wax medium. My most recent paintings involve overlapping patterns. I repeat a design in four directions, obscuring each layer with a thin wash to create depth. The result is somewhat related to a mandala or a fractal and it’s my intention that these paintings are perceived as contemplative.