ARTIST STATEMENT: My work explores the intersection of the natural world and urban experience. Through a practice of painting, drawing and printmaking, I am searching for meaningful abstract form through observation. My process begins with drawing and photographing elements in my Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond. The imagery comes from direct observation of elements encountered in daily life, such as cast shadows falling across the sidewalk, ornate ironwork, tangled grasses, and clouds gathering on the horizon. Architectural elements seem to grow, change and take on a kind of animated life of their own while living plants and natural landscape feels both fragile and resilient. Using photos and direct observation as a departure point, I make hundreds of sketches and drawings. My goal in the drawing process is to find an essential abstract form and a sense of animated life force in each element. I try to capture my own emotional response to these fleeting sensations and chance encounters. As they evolve, these drawings form the building blocks for my paintings and mixed media works on paper. In my recent painting and print series I have focused on layering these abstracted elements so that the process is a reflection of the complexity and density of my surroundings.