Ikigai

In Japan, the people embrace a concept called “Ikigai” which translates as “a reason for being”. It conveys having a direction or purpose in life, which provides the individual a sense of fulfillment that gives them a greater sense of meaning, value and satisfaction. Often times this is what feels like “homecoming” for the soul and creates lasting happiness in an individual’s life experience.

I create my own happiness by staying true to my heart and following my passions, which ultimately led me to being an abstract painter. I have the heart and soul of an artist; painting is infinitely part of my personality. Born to create, I infuse my passion and enthusiasm for the beauty of life into my work. No other form has, to such a great degree, the charm of freshness as oil painting does for me. As Henry Miller once stated, “to paint is to love again.” I find that statement to be very true. I found my authentic self in my art. Painting, for me, is a continual source of renewal where I seek refuge from the minutia of life and rediscover a joy beyond words.

Especially after spending a year inside during quarantine, I’ve become very connected to nature and the feminine aspects of life. Mother nature is healing and inspiring. Many of my inspirations for my artwork come from long strolls in nature along the ocean or in the forest. I frequently spend time outdoors in South Florida, where the native flora and fauna is sublime. The rich seascape provides a natural solace where the ocean breeze renews and reinvigorates the senses to clear the mind. An empty mind is a fertile vessel for artistic insight. The solace and silence of nature promotes harmony in the human thought process, and allows the mind to wander in a meditative state. Nature is my greatest inspiration, and several of my color palettes come from the miscellany of flowers, leaves, butterflies, and bird feathers I discover during my time outdoors.  That natural beauty is part of what inspired me to design my latest series of work.  My latest series utilizes scissors to cut out stencils and patterns to create sharp, clean painted edges for various shapes, adding layers of depth and dimension to my artwork.  In my creative process, I use textured poster board perforated throughout with wavy cutouts that you might just mistake for leaves. The fact that a scenic walk enveloped in lush flower petals aided the creation of my latest painting might account for the deep shades of fuchsia and magenta pink.

In my personal painting style, I utilize color as a material and I enjoy being flexible with it. While its qualities are sensuous, color itself can be particularized, in that it "comes apart." Providing dissonance and consonance, my usage of color symphonies adds small counterpoints and contrasts that may not be noticed to the casual viewer at first glance. Similar to the philosophical theory of “organicism”, color offers great variety of combination within itself; it balances all that can be done without color: depth, placement, and volume. The bold usage of color in my latest painting is commanding and beautiful, but its impression is unique.  I love color, and I love fun and feminine touches, like iridescent shimmer and bold uses of saturation in different shapes and gestural applications. I see myself as a scientist of color. As a colorist, I prefer to paint in oils, which generally take a long time to dry. It is for this reason that I spend long amounts of time blending and assorting colors with a palette knife, rather than a brush. The effect allows the colors to guide me in an intuitive process. The result creates an unspoken dialogue felt, not only between myself and the painting, but also between the audience and the art that serves as a bridge to a deeper awareness of the source of creativity within each of us.