Artist Statement:
I think about my work as a collision of nature and paint and am drawn to the idea of bringing the outside in.
I love finding the curves in nature and following the long lines and organic shapes hidden in the landscape.
Color is a strong driver in my work and I have been capturing & collecting color snapshots in my head for a lifetime. The living colors in nature’s palette are interwoven with the man-made colors pulled from fashion & textiles, to place-specific color memories of city life, summers at the ocean, & travel. All are part of a diverse collection of hues that get mixed into the story unfolding on my canvas.
Painting is an intuitive exercise for me and I never pre-plan or sketch before starting a canvas. I have always been a keen observer and arranging things comes naturally to me. My process is kind of a dance between those two ideas.
Most importantly however, is the strong relationship and deep connection I have with paint. Working with paint is second nature to me. We are partners in the art making process and have equal ownership in the studio.
Even though it my tools and brushes that make the marks, ultimately it is the paint that gives life to my lines and colors. Paint has a strong point of view and is not fully controllable. For such a low-tech medium, it has such powerful transformative qualities that can convey complex ideas and bring a blank surface to life.
Paint has always been the medium that speaks to me most clearly and a paintbrush is the tool that feels most at home in my hand.
Education:
BS, Kent State University, Kent, OH
Awards & Distinctions:
Awards / Recognition:
2016 Individual Artist Fellowship Award Grant, Arkansas Arts Council
Select Collections / Installations:
2018 Private Collection, Fort Worth, TX
2016 Private Collection, Park City, UT
2016 Luxury Residential Property, Washington DC
2015 Private Corporate Collection, Largo, FL
2015 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
2014 21 Broad Hotel, Nantucket, MA
2013 Grace Point Church, Bentonville, AR
2013 NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, Jonesboro, AR
Publications:
2018 Studio Visit Magazine
Winter Edition, Volume 43/44
2017 EQUINOX Literary Magazine
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
2017 Studio Visit Magazine
Summer Edition, Volume 37
Professional/Teaching Experience:
Related Experience / Special Projects:
2020-2011 Gallery Guide, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
2018 Art Cart Development Project, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
2016 Family Tour Redesign Project, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
2016 WomanMade: NWA, Exhibition development and curation, Story Gallery, Bentonville, AR
Public Speaking:
2018 Northwest Arkansas Community College, Panel Discussion: Artists and the Art Economy, Bentonville, AR
Exhibitions:
Group Exhibitions
2018 61st Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art
Fowler-Kellogg Art Center Gallery, Chautauqua, NY
2018 Flowers & Facades: Dustyn Bork & Heidi Carlsen-Rogers
William F. Laman Library Gallery, Little Rock, AR
2018 Electron Salon
Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Temporary Contemporary Group Show
Temporary Contemporary Gallery, Bentonville, AR
2016 WomanMade: NWA
Story Gallery, Bentonville, AR
2009 15th Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition
Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale, AR
Solo Exhibitions
2014 CONNECTING THE DOTS: One year of painting
STORY Gallery, Bentonville, AR
2011 MODERN ORGANIC: new paintings
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Bentonville, AR
2011 SELECT WORKS
Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, AR
2011 BOUNDLESS COLOR / pure expression
Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale, AR
Artistic Influences:
Willem DeKooning, Joan Mitchell, Richard Diebenkorn, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Brice Marden
Artist Tags:
abstract, contemporary, organic, abstract expressionist, lines, flowers
