Artist’s statement

THIS MOMENT:

We’ve called our show for 2023 “This Moment” because it is only in this moment that we live and die, love and create. And find our joy and true fulfillment. These paintings all come from this moment, even those that have been repainted over the years and now show up as reincarnations. This moment is the only place I can find the grace of the good luck accident, the fortunate mistaken stroke, or the moment of inspiration surprising me from that mysterious place.

The work of this last year includes fantasy landscapes, purely abstract paintings, and in between, all sharing commonalities of palate, technique and a joy found in light and color. Over the past few years, I’ve added metallic leaf as well as acrylic glazes to create translucence and light.

My work is signed with my dharma name, “Koku,” which means “vast, empty sky”…the place where paintings come from.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDIA:

These pieces (Transformed Life) are based on 16mm film shot over 45 years ago; some of them on black and white film hand developed and stained. Strips of film are scanned using a high resolution flat bed scanner to rescue individual frames which are then arranged in photoshop before printing. The images are stacked in vertical columns so that each piece can be read through time from upper left to lower right. Each image is a distinct separate photograph and since 16 mm film runs at 24 frames a second, each represents 1/24th second of life preserved and yet transformed. This transformation may also include the color modifications which creates the poignancy and mood of each piece.