Artist Statement: Cut-Out Series

I have moved around quite a bit throughout my life. I was born in Detroit, Michigan and have since lived in Indiana, Connecticut, Illinois, Colorado, France, Washington, and most recently Memphis, Tennessee. Moving has come to represent for me something that is both new and familiar. My memories from each place that I have lived are singularly distinct and I feel rooted to each of these places. Similarly, my art making practice is quite nomadic. I studied finger-painting in Indiana, landscape painting in France, sculpture in Colorado, photography in Memphis, etc. Each learned discipline augments my overall artistic vision. My work is thus inclusive and remains continuously open to the next move. I have incorporated many different artistic strategies in making the Cut-Out Series.

The Cut-Out Series originated from a sculptural impulse to break out of the rectangular frame of traditional painting. The edges of a picture plane have long been the decisive force for arranging a composition. Different proportions of rectangles have traditionally been used for different formats of artwork. For example, landscape paintings are often executed on golden rectangles, and concert posters are most often printed on root 2 rectangles. Similarly, portrait photography generally incorporates a vertically oriented rectangle while filmmaking is just about always shot with a horizontal frame. By working on shaped surfaces, I free the pieces from traditional pictorial associations. The Cut-Out Series compositions are akin to constellations; each painted piece functions as a part of the whole.

I cut out each piece of these compositions with a band saw before individually painting or collaging each one. Combining similar and dissimilar cut-out paintings, I create larger, more complex painting systems. Like a group of people, sometimes my groupings conflict and sometimes they compliment one another. Regardless of the outcome, I force the individual pieces to interact. I display the results of my experiments by positioning each cut-out painting group on the wall and adhering them with velcro. This allows me to pull off and reposition any cutout pieces that seem out of place.