My work is a process of discovery, becoming an ecology of improvisational marks that embody the wisdom and wonder of uncertainty, failure, and getting lost. I paint what is unknown to me. I paint, not to elevate myself, but to surpass my self-importance.
NEWS
Now represented by LAURA VINCENT DESIGN & GALLERY
LATEST BLOG POSTS
Beyond the Canvas: Improvisational Painting and the Art of Engaging a Complex World
Improvisational abstract painting, when done right, should defy the artist’s expectations. Each stroke, shape, and smudge becomes part of an unfolding dialogue, creating a space where the act of painting is less about achieving a final image and more about exploring possibilities. This openness to the unknown transforms the canvas into a dynamic environment where every decision leads to new challenges and discoveries. In an era defined by acceleration and increasing complexity and interconnectedness, the process of improvisational painting offers insights into how we might think about approaching the unpredictable landscapes of social, political, and ecological life with a similar spirit of engagement and adaptability.
What I Don’t Know
“I have to remind myself that I don’t need to know where this painting will end up—only that it's trying to answer a question I don’t know how to ask. As I’m working, I strive (clumsily) to invite a state of not knowing—as frustrating and debilitating as it can be much of the time—because that’s why I paint, why most of us paint, I gather, to better understand what we don’t know. Or maybe, more accurately, that we don’t know…”
“That’s what I’m interested in, the space in between the moment of imagining what is possible and yet not knowing what that is.” –Julie Mehretu
EXHIBITIONS
2024
- March,Unexpected Solitude, LAURA VINCENT DESIGN & GALLERY, Portland, OR
- Featured in Saatchi Art’s “24 Artists to collect in 2024”
2023
- Solo, Beyond the Now, Galley 114. Portland, OR
- Group, Artworks Northwest Biennial, Umqua Valley Arts, Curated by Arvie Smith, Roseburg, OR
- Solo, Small Works, Cellar Z, Portland, OR
- Group, Winter Exhibition, Jen Tough Gallery and Artist Alliance, Artsy
- Group, The Space Between, Artist Alliance, Artsy, Curated by Michael Shemchuck
2022
- Group show, METAXIS, E. Serreau Studio/Gallery, Portland, OR. MORE INFO
- Solo show, The Joinery at St. Johns, Portland, OR
- Solo show, The Joinery, Downtown Portland, OR
- The Sound of Forgetting, Exhibbit, Virtual Exhibition
- Group show, A Thousand Words, Walters Cultural Arts Center, Hillsboro, OR
- Solo show, Ongoing Renewal, Nest, Portland, OR
- The Gaze Behind Closed Eyes. Exhibbit, Virtual Exhibition
Art Folio 2021 available on Amazon.
Art Folio 2020 is available for purchase.
“A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle.” -Robert Henri
Represented by LAURA VINCENT DESIGN & GALLERY