I believe that a work of art must stand or fall on it’s own merit. Regardless of whether the art is representational or abstract, it must connect with and engage the viewer on some level. Writing about one’s art is possibly one of the most difficult things an artist may do. Yet, writing about, or discussing one’s art, is as much a part of the process as working in the studio. I have used the same approach, process, and formal shape as the point of departure and common ground in my art for decades. My approach to making art continues to explore the conceptual links between Eastern and Western philosophies and the delicate balance of opposites - entropy and order, intuition and reason, flux and permanence, and the intangible and the physical. These dualities seem fundamentally and mutually exclusive, yet they complement one another and permeate every aspect of our lives and world. The process involves a centuries old method of grinding and combining pure mineral and earth pigments employing both traditional and contemporary means - using brushes, my hands, or whatever tool suits the need of the moment. While aspects of this process have intent and control, there is also randomness. Decisions can be made, but the results are not always linear or predictable. The wonderment of the process is that while there is immediacy in the working moment, there are also times of quiet observation. At some point each piece acquires a life and a voice of its own, which inevitably engages me in a growing dialogue that I cannot disregard. From a formal standpoint, the square format, unlike the rectangle, makes no associative reference to landscape or portrait. The square simply “is”; an archetypal shape that is stable, static, and passive. From a compositional standpoint, the square is perhaps the most difficult shape to energize. The paintings do not reflect a literal response to what has inspired me. Rather, they are the embedded sense-memory of colors, textures, materials, surfaces, and the ephemeral quality of light, which surrounds me on a daily basis. My paintings are an investigation into the effects of time and nature on all things, a visual remembrance of countless transitory realities.