Creation and destruction. We create structures and decorative objects only to have the elements of time and nature wear them down. The continuity of this erosion shows us that beauty is imperfect and impermanent.

As in the ancient Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi, I see beauty in the inevitable diminishment of form. In my Erosion Series I address the cyclical nature of life in an image or “area” that reveals a long history of creation and destruction. The series is about process—my interest is in material transformation.

Creating abstract images on the discarded remains of my figurative work or on damaged pieces of plywood, I build the images up and belt-sand them down. I continue to paint while I gouge, scrape, and sand the panels in random acts—similar to the way nature transforms our lives through erosion. The works on paper are collages of sandpaper remnants that result from this process. As I hand-stitch the fragments onto paper, I am reminded that nature uses everything that decays to create new life.