Working with sumi ink and brushes of many sizes, I paint with broad movements that echo the rhythmic flow and rhetoric of selected musical compositions. I then build three-dimensional constructions by tearing and combining my gestural paintings, bending and layering the durable 100% cotton paper and fastening it in places with industrial elements—grommets, bolts, and wire. The constructed components are 3-D, non-rectangular, and have folded, torn, or curled edges that extend across the wall, sit in arrangement on the floor, or suspend from the ceiling.

My marks are gestural abstractions, however, the shapes, shadows, forms, and lines I use can suggest an undulation and take on an aspect that may suggest energy, landmass, waves, rock, or other physical elements. I choose to work on paper because of its long history as a means of recording human thoughts and ideas. Paper is a natural material, recyclable, and environmentally safe. Also, tearing and shaping the paper is another mark of the human hand.

My pictorial language derives from many areas. Characteristics I observe in natural forms, such as rocks and fossils inspire me always. Years of study in calligraphy guide my strokes and brush work. My lifelong study of music, its performance, and reading of musical notation—including facsimiles of autograph manuscripts from the 13th century to those of contemporary times—influence my marks and details in my compositions.

Current Influences include Mark Bradford, Cy Twombly, Gao Xingjian, Julie Mehretu, and Qin Feng. From Robert Nickle, one of my most memorable teachers at UIC, I maintain an enduring, indefatigable interest in the many kinds and extremely varied uses of collage and a deep appreciation for the natural marks contained within weathered scraps of previous use papers, which are in their way, fossils from our present times.