In the late 1980’s I began drifting away from figurative imagery into pure abstraction. Forces in my personal and gallery life propelled me to more freely explore and experiment. Paintscape III, 1986, is an example of this departure. I began this painting with the idea of creating an abstract landscape. I wandered through several stages of balancing color, paint action and destruction before arriving at a finish that felt resolved to my eye. Amidst its abstract qualities, there remained a horizon line, an architectural element, which connected the painting to landscape. Soon I was able to let go of all references to reality.

I rode this open-ended approach to painting for several years and produced a body of abstract work. During this time I created many monotypes. The painterly printmaking process of making monotypes was faster than painting on canvas. It allowed me to jump in, be spontaneous, and move fast experimenting with nonrepresentational images. I also painted many small oil-on-gessoed-board-studies. Through these many studies, I gained confidence as a painter.

Many of these paintings never left the studio, but these experimental, abstract years were fundamental to the intuitive painting method that distinguishes my current work. I am wholly committed to the pure expressive quality of the paint itself.