My work is about the process and psychology of creating abstract art. Depicting unusual landscapes heightens the viewer’s experience while communicating my own interests in the unseen world.

Good abstraction captures the imagination and relates in some conscious and/or subconscious way to the viewer. Many who look at abstract art try to make a cognitive connection. Some will look for a figure, a series of recognizable shapes, or attach a mood to the painting because of its color use. This is evident when discussing art with children but continues into adulthood with a more acute analysis. The logistic left side of the brain is used in deciphering imagery that guides the viewer to a decision whether they like and truly understand what they are seeing.

With this precept I began this series. My subject matter lies in landscapes seen near the end of the 20^th century continuing into the 21^st century. Landscapes on a grand and microscopic scale. I am concerned primarily with the structures, textures, and biological forms of the unseen world. I seek out images taken by electron microscopes, space probes and satellites, deep-sea submersibles, and other technology that allows me to see deeper into our world and those worlds in space. The links between these landscapes are their basic construction, whether it is cellular, geological, or liquid. These specific images although foreign to most carry many of the same qualities of those that are familiar. Thus the work has familiarity on some cognitive level. Textures of mold are similar to that of balloons or clusters of grapes. Satellite photos often resemble maps, or qualities associated with stone and rock. Magnified viruses take on the appearance of insects and worms.

The drawings are part one in my process of establishing an idea and constructing an abstract painting. Each drawing begins as a line, a shape, or a field. From there I create an obsessive drawing. They are obsessive drawings because most are 4" x 6." By working on an intimate scale every part of the composition is calculated. I use non-erasable colored pencils (sometimes in combination with paint), which in turn leads me to draw very meticulously. All drawings contain recognition elements the viewer consciously or subconsciously looks for. Textures, fluidity, and forms are often what the viewer associates with and relates to their natural surroundings.

The drawn image goes through a process of manipulation. Many of my drawings may not become a painting up to a year or more after their completion. The treatment of the drawing indicates the way I currently feel about it after living with it for sometime. The changes made are what I feel is necessary for it to become a successful painting. This in turn is an "abstraction of an abstraction." I use the computer to aid in manipulation in many cases. The effects created digitally have a familiarity with the viewer living in a computer driven age. Editing changes the original source considerably but to a calculated end. The viewer begins to understand the thought processes of abstract creation. As an artist I feel the need re-work ideas. Simply printing the manipulations is not a consideration. The quality and tactile feeling of the paint amplifies the imagery making the landscape feel substantial. By painting I am able to leave an imprint on these landscapes, allowing myself to temporarily tread in these fantastic worlds. By fusing art and nature with technology I hope to speak to those living in the 21^st century world.