Testing
I’m a Seattle artist known for colorful abstract paintings inspired by scientific imagery like DNA and microbiology. My main work, Testing, explores how materials react to each other. Instead of traditional paints, I use custom formulas of inks, stains, and dyes that behave in unique ways—like bleeding or migrating through layers of other material. I add notes directly on the paintings to track my experiments. The final works have a velvety matte surface that invites closer viewing.
SunTests
In my SunTests series, I focus on the most delicate, light-sensitive inks and dyes—some of which vanish entirely. While I don’t use these fragile colors in my main paintings, here I find ways to experiment with them. I create small images, expose them to sunlight, and document their changes over time. These works eventually fade, leaving only a digital record. The final artworks include time-lapse videos and archival prints on aluminum or paper.
SubOptic & Ultra Marine About ten years ago another body of work emerged in my studio, which I informally call my “coral reefs” series. I’m drawn to landscapes, natural science—especially biology—and maps of the Earth. After watching An Inconvenient Truth, I decided to explore these interests through the lens of climate change, launching this series in two solo shows: SubOptic and Ultra Marine: New Paintings and Drawings About the Sea. In pieces like Coralline (bleaching), I used forms that mimic sea life, and colors that fade over time, symbolizing coral bleaching caused by environmental stress. Core Sample was based on X-rays of coral, which scientists use to track changes in reefs. While this work was a shift from my Testing series, it shared my fascination with how materials behave, blending my love for science with influences from color field painting, land art, and minimalism. I’ve also drawn inspiration from historical figures like Anna Atkins, a 19th-century artist and botanist known for her cyanotypes of seaweed. I occasionally circle back to this work for side projects.
Work from my coral reef series was included in the 2018 book Where Corals Lie: A Natural and Cultural History, by J. Malcolm Shick, London: Reaktion Books, p. 132–133. It’s loaded with paintings, drawings, photos and diagrams — Available on Amazon.