Recognitions and Icons

My work explores the shadows of religion, not to condemn but to bring light and compassion to the darker aspects of devotion. My paintings and wall sculptures are intended to draw the viewer into an internal state that transcends the need for salvation. Inspired by Byzantine icons, I use reverse perspective to create subtle shifts in perception, where the viewer becomes the vanishing point, self-contained and slightly removed. This shift in perspective suggests an alternative to the Judeo-Christian paradigm, in which one’s attention is directed toward a deity located just beyond her reach. The viewer is instead located front and center in the transitional space, where she is both the subject of the painting and the object of devotion.

Text Drawings and Illuminated Manuscripts

I began working with sacred texts in 2007, cutting letters from one text to form the writings of another. This “cross-pollination” of holy books has a larger purpose, suggesting that all sacred writings point toward the same source, eliminating the need for exclusivity or intervention. The process of deconstructing sacred texts expresses a broad interpretation of scripture that is inclusive of all faiths. In the Illuminated Manuscripts series, I combine sacred texts with painting, sewing, and burning, rendering a contemporary interpretation of an ancient tradition. But instead of illuminating a long-established, patriarchal religion, I illuminate the state of awareness, the origin and destination of all religions.