"It is my belief that still life painting stems from the close observation of reality. I have found that the apparent stillness which material things seem to embody is set into motion through the act of seeing, drawing and painting. Through close scrutiny and observation one comes to the realization that nothing in nature is really still. Forces are at work while friction and tension permeate all, including the very act of seeing, drawing and painting. Material things have weight, volume, mass, color, position and a relationship to each other. These perceptions are as fleeting as the light that transforms what and how we see. Perhaps, still life paintings are a way to salvage something from the unremitting process of entropy and decay, a way of bringing temporary permanence to that which is fleeting.
These paradoxes drew me to still life painting. I find that still life presents infinite arrangements. I am able to manipulate both the reality at hand and the formal elements of painting color, line, tone and composition. It has come to represent the essence of what painting has always been, that which is still, visual and silent. It is an echo of our existence and the trace of our passing."
