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Stonewalls found here in Rhode Island are the focus of my paintings. I live in Saunderstown, a small village on the southwest coast of Narragansett Bay. The 300-year-old Casey Farm, once a plantation, is located at its center. The "Old Boston Post Road", a main artery in colonial times and up through the early 19th century, runs along the back edge of the property.
Now overgrown, on either side of this "highway" are beautiful freestanding stonewalls, the subject of my work. I am in awe of the mass and beauty of these rock walls, most certainly built by African slaves in the 1700's. They have left us a gift and a legacy.
Much of my painting takes place viscerally while walking daily on the pathway of this road with our dog Wolfie. For me, the process of painting is one of active dialogue with the marvel of nature. In my eyes, stone, a seemingly inert and humble material, hold a visual energy. In my spirit, I am reminded of the Biblical reference to the living stone.
Working with oils on canvas, I use a glazing technique that gives the image a translucent look found in watercolor painting. My style is both a figurative and expressionistic, reflecting my response to this place.
I like using the triptych format as a way of extending an image to envelop the viewer as in "A Time to Gather Stones I&II". I also want each canvas to stand as individual paintings. I use the square format as a means of bringing the viewer closer to the image, as in "Daylight I, II, & III ".
The word 'pardon' was coined during colonial times referring to the
steps built into the side of the stones walls, making easy passage from
one side to the other.
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