"Disappearing Act," original painting, 20" x 20"

This painting speaks to me about having to keep parts of yourself under wraps and hidden -- not feeling safe to be who you truly are in all of your glorious uniqueness. In the "Transformation" series, I excavate older work, transforming it into something new using layers of addition and reduction. I mine my observations and emotions to create expressive paintings that explore the range of experiences around transformation. These are exciting pieces to work on, because I never know what will emerge when I sand through the many layers of paint. Often the paintings start out as a muddled mess, but with sanding they become surprisingly beautiful works of art. The concept of transformation also applies to recent times. The world is going through a profound process of reorganization and change. Humanity is in a rapid state of transformation, and we don't yet know how the new world will look. Sustainability is an important part of my artistic practice, and this painting was created using repu