Party When The Train Comes 1

Artist's statement: My first memory from a time I was in a crib is of a glass object in the sunlit window which sent wondrous prisms of color dancing around the room. Those colors and lights were mesmerizing and it is that feeling I still chase in my artmaking all these years later. The subjects can vary widely but the sense of awe at the visual world is stll what inspires.

Primarily, I work as a printmaker but I also draw, paint and use mixed media. Often I mix collage, chin colee and sewing in with my prints as a way of adding color and textural interest. I have several series I have pursued across many years. Bridges, elevated trains, water towers and other urban architecture appear often in my work. The complex geometries of these objects is intriguing. Machinery and mechanical parts abound in my prints for similar reasons I have been depicting these things since my days as a mechanic on the New York City subway system. For the past year I have been working on an artist book about mechanical parts. Occasionally I have been using my photos from the Mermaid Parade as basis of prints. This annual parade in Coney Island features unique costumes and floats, movement, color and the human spectacle. After years of avoidance I started a series based on plants and botanical themes. I had been avoiding this subject because it is so ubiquitous in art, but that is not a cool reason for banishment. Lastly I have an ongoing series I think of as pattern on pattern, where I take any object with interesting shapes and patterns and place it against another pattern in a challenge to make it work cohesively. What unites all these things is a preoccupation with pattern, color and movement. Also, I try to approach any subject with imagination and humor.