Be Still and Know

Thematically, I have long been interested in our necessity to strike a balance in our lives between comfort and discomfort. I am fascinated by the resilience of people who are living in uncomfortable circumstances but are managing to find comfort in wholesome and healthy ways. I am equally moved by the horrors people experience as a result of being too comfortable or by soothing their discomfort through self-destructive means. While I work, I often draw inspiration from cycles or waves and seek to unify seemingly disparate subject matter. My encaustic pieces typically have an eerie, dreamlike quality, incorporating metaphorical imagery. I love how this can limit and clarify while simultaneously extending the meaning of a piece. In my experience, this has made my art more accessible, inviting interpretation even from viewers who do not normally consider themselves art lovers. This versatile medium allows me to not only freely explore, but to also capture viscerally, the nuances of themes like weight vs. delicacy, pain vs. pleasure, clarity vs. confusion, and deterioration vs. growth.

My encaustic work up to now has often been intense, heavy, and dark. However, Be Still and Know (currently in progress), turns a page toward a new, lighter chapter. Although it’s already showing signs it will maintain intensity, I expect it will be an intensity that inspires awe and hope. Be Still and Know explores the threshold – both so far and near, full of questioning and knowing, so vastly complex and so very simple – where humans feel their connection with God.