ARTIST STATEMENT

From the time I was a young child, I spent hours in my maternal grandfather’s workshop., I used to watch him as he studied pieces of fabric and made decisions about which fabric he would upholster onto the furniture he had crafted. From him, I learned all about plaids, stripes, and repetitive patterns.    

My other grandfather had been taught to weave in Lodz, Poland when he was six years old.  After immigrating to Paterson, NJ, he made his living as a silk weaver.  He would bring me pieces of that woven fabric to play with and I would love the feel, texture and possibilities of what could be done with them.

These early influences influenced my approach to art and my aesthetic process.  My early experiences with these two master craftsmen resonated and informed how I look at materials as well as colors and patterns I use in my work.  These experiences were vital to my development and continue to be important influences in my work. The inspiration for my paintings originated in the experiences I had watching my grandfathers’ work with thread and fabric, learning to understand pattern, form, texture and color. 

As an abstract painter, my process relies on a grid-like system of marks, and a well-articulated composition, based on a traditional sense of balance, chiaroscuro and space to organize information. The work begins as a sequence of related and interdependent actions. These are repeated until a resolution is reached.  Each painting serves as a guide to this intuitive process.