• In my Lucretius series, I make a single line that begins and ends at the edge of the canvas. My challenge has been to integrate the line with the background – figure with ground. For example, in Camping, Camping 5, Camping 11, Ending, Glow, New Glow and New Wilderness, I sanded the canvas to reveal underlying layers so figure and ground appear to derive from the same molecules. In We Forget We Don't Know Where We Are and Dark Camping, the ground asserts itself with the same expressiveness as the figure. 

    The act of integrating figure and ground feels like art imitating life — the figure analogous to the human condition of finiteness, the ground analogous to the infinite time and space in which it occurs.

    As today’s reactionaries seek to elevate Christian doctrine in the US government, my work hearkens back to philosophical views of 60 BCE, when Lucretius questioned the role of Greek and Roman gods. In his writings, he uses the concept of an infinite universe to inspire humility and a sense of liberation. He suggests that understanding the vastness of the cosmos can help free individuals from the fear of divine punishment and the anxieties of mortality. By recognizing humanity’s small place in an endless universe, he encourages us to focus on living well and seeking tranquility (ataraxia) within the finite span of our lives. These beliefs have profound relevance today, including the importance of nurturing our planet, pursuing social justice and recognizing the unique gifts of every individual.

    An exhibition of my Lucretius paintings would come at a timely moment. In our current political and cultural climate, it’s a good time to rethink and retest the fundamentals that we have taken for granted. That’s what the Lucretius paintings do for visual art. They’re visual works, but they arise from non-visual concerns. By emulating the linear and time-based structure of writing and music, they offer an alternative to purely visual snapshots of the “real” world and even to standard abstract picture-making. At the same time, they show how painting can have cross-disciplinary and non-visual origins but still play by the rules of form, color and composition. Finally, their philosophical underpinnings are in direct opposition to religious dogma and its increasing role in government.