Visual Poetry

"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen." Leonardo da Vinci

A number of years ago, a juror referred to my work as "visual poetry".  I thought that was very interesting.  The fact of the matter is, as a child  I loved to read and write poems and stories.  After thinking about this for a while, I really began to see why he made that comparison.

Each of my paintings is an allegory, telling a story through a world of symbols, with layers of meaning to interpret.  I ask the viewer to take a leap of the imagination when they look at my work.

As in poetry, my use of metaphor, conveying ideas through seemingly different imagery, enables me to tell thought provoking stories, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions.  I often use personification in my imagery, attributing human qualities to animals, birds, planets, and the sun and moon.

Achieving a sense of cadence and movement is also an important element in my work, creating a feeling of freedom and unlimited possibilities.   Shape, line and color are my tools to create these flowing rhythms.

Symbols are very important tools for me because they are catalysts, triggering a wide range of perceptions and beliefs.  A symbol's meaning can be both literal and figurative, and the context surrounding a symbol can also serve to further illuminate the viewer's understanding.  Symbols have the power to communicate to all people, overcoming the barriers of language, cultures, religions, countries and history.  Some have universal meaning and are found in many cultural and faith traditions.

Image, metaphor and symbol merge into each other to create new levels of meaning in my paintings and allow the viewer to bring his own understanding to my visual poetry.