“My painting process involves numerous transparent layers of oil color over a sculptured groundwork of fossilized botanical impressions. My paintings begin as sculptures, where I press botanical materials into a special medium; some of these imprints are actual orchid flowers.
On this foundation, I begin stacking layers of transparent oil paint glaze, creating abstract fields of color. These backgrounds are complete abstract paintings in and of themselves, their interwoven organic shapes appearing like ghostly fossils.
I coax the painted surface to capture light and animate from within.
Upon these botanic tapestries I paint the diverse architecture of the orchid - an elegant icon of evolution.This painting intends to entice the viewer to engage and interact with the background.
“Windswept Brasso” takes its inspiration from an orchid hybrid called Brassolaelia ‘Morning Glory’ originating in 1958 which crossed two species, Brassavola nodosa andCattleya purpurata.
Brassovola nodosa is a widespread species found from Mexico southward through Central America to Colombia and Venezuela. The history of this species dates back nearly 100 years before the Linnaean system of binomial names was established. Described and pictured in 1691 and again in 1698, it was the first tropical orchid to be cultivated in Europe.”
