Avalance , encaustic , 10.5 x 24 x 11 inches , 2013
Balancing between scientific representations and acts of abstraction , my work has evolved into a series of empirical demonstrations that contemplate and compare human and geologic time . Referencing textbook diagrams , I study the way events occur in geologic time , then create micro / macro records in paint of what I imagine exists below a terrain ’ s surface . My scaled-down interpretations of natural occurrences give an indication of the features of the earth and lengths of events , but more literally , they are core samples of the act of painting . Working at the confluence of painting and sculpture , I excavate parallel processes of mineral transformation with a profound difference in timescales .
My work begins with the study of the origin and evolution of the earth , but extends into the realm of philosophy and includes thinking about how geologic events intersect with culture . I follow how events related to climate change are making the geologic senseable with new intensity as events such as Hurricane Katrina and Super-storm Sandy make us realize that these are phenomena we live within , not simply something abstract that scientists study .