I am interested in cognition and the brain. The human brain is a complex and highly plastic command center. It is capable of producing endless amounts of worry and fear but also of generating invention, expression, and connection. In a similar fashion, painting presents challenges but is also capable of communicating powerful visual information. It is this duality that keeps me interested in painting.

In my current work, I have been informed by cognitive therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy has coined the term “cognitive defusion.” Cognitive defusion is a meditative process in which people convert uncomfortable feelings or thoughts into physical forms in their minds. Instead of becoming fused to those thoughts, and stuck, they simply observe the imagined forms representing their thoughts. I am interested in the human figure and other humanoid forms as physical representations of, or metaphors for, experiences, feelings, and ideas.