Architect by day and artist by night, I am based in Denver, Colorado and have been painting with watercolor since 2000. I enjoy creating paintings that have a real sense of texture to them. By using salt, wax, and scarring to manipulate the paper and paint, I create abstract works that rely on the interaction of controlled mark-making and chance.

In 2011, I developed sensory neuropathy, a condition that makes my nerves overactive. The textures in my art represent the sensations I feel in my nerves; my physical interaction with the paper is an expression of what happens beneath my skin. While nobody else can see or experience these sensations in the ways that I do, I try to visually articulate them by bringing them to the surface of my art. I feel that the texture one is drawn to in a painting is a reflection of the impressions that life has left on their soul.

Watercolor has taught me focus and patience, and continues to be a form of meditation that helps me cope with circumstances beyond my control. When working with a medium that uses water, one must give up a certain level of authority and appreciate the effects of chance. However, through practice and experimentation, colors and their relationship to one another are carefully chosen. When I discover exciting color combinations from my daily interactions with nature and the built environment, I recreate them in my palette and let their unique personalities guide my paintings compositionally. The time spent creating my paintings, composing their colors and weaving the layers of textures into them, has brought light back into a life that I once thought would be destined for darkness.