Inspired by Classical Art and Art of the Southwest

The proportions, harmony, and the longevity of Classical Greek art were early influences on my work.   Immediately after arriving in Arizona for the first time, I was amazed with the similarities between ancient Puebloan pottery patterns and ancient Greek pottery patterns. This lead me to reading about how  the patterns of both traditions originated in basket weaving. Later, I studied the origins of European paleolithic art and the similarity to the patterns found in ancient rock art in the Southwest. These patterns emerged from shamanism and altered states of consciousness - spirituality  is embedded in the human brain, probably universally.  Zig-zags and dots, for example, are perceived in the early stages of trance. Sparkles and shininess are obvious connections to otherworldliness. The use of shiny surfaces is an artistic strategy utilized in ancient Southwest art and is pervasive in European sacred art as well in the use of metal leaf . 

Titles are usually chosen from the names of towns in Arizona or are ancient Greek words.

Studying all ancient art, one is impressed by how modern it appears. This is because artists at the turn of the century like Kandinsky, Mondrian, and the Suprematists were concerned with spirituality and they studied the origins of art. They saw abstraction as a return to simplicity and universality. My work represents a return to the roots of modernism.