"I feel like a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth."
William Faulkner

"borhani": logic, proof (Farsi)

Statement

My artwork explores adventure, fear and the presence of unseen burdens. I try to keep taking photographs when I feel an urge to look away. I gather debris from heaps in forests, roadside ditches and tidal zones. I pair these found humanmade objects with leaves I press and decoupage. Sometimes, I merge these undergirdings with photo prints, drawing and paint to create figurative work. Laying my hands on these ephemeral items is how I try to salvage memories and dreams. Digital painting can factor into my process.

I grew up as a newcomer in a place with a violent history laid beneath stunning landmarks-- piney ridges, abandoned mine shafts, factories and smokestacks, plantations and mansions. Meanwhile my family had its own unique history with religious stigmatization, roles as both doctors and patients, creative achievers and dwellers of the margins. I draw on imagery recalled from my family stories, the Deep South of my childhood, and my trio of cultural backgrounds. What I create also reflects where I have taught art: the jail system, defunded schools and devout communities. I invoke elements of industrial sites, now decayed, that hold a sense of pain, longing, nostalgia and purpose for many people. These complexities, and the moral urgencies they ignited, affect how I see and render the world.

The warmth of neighborliness and the treasures of the natural world held me then and hold my attention now. Every day I try to balance light and dark and my artwork watches me work. We are all seeking some kind of transcendence.