Recognitions

Evangelicalism played a critical role in my upbringing, and I am intimately aware of its potential for psychological damage. My work explores the shadows of religion, not to condemn but to bring light and compassion to the darker aspects of devotion. My paintings, drawings, and wall sculptures are intended to draw the viewer into an internal state, where it is possible to recognize one’s divine nature. In the series Recognitions, I play with linear perspective to create subtle shifts in perception. I reverse one-point perspective so that its lines converge in the space directly in front of the painting, an inversion that places the viewer at the focal point of the composition. Unlike traditional religious painting in which the saint or savior is situated at center stage, here 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. In my paintings, the viewer is located front and center in the transitional space where she is both the subject of the painting and the object of devotion. My work is a direct challenge to the patriarchal hierarchies of Christianity and any religion that asserts authority over its followers. I hint at an alternative path that transcends the need for redemption and salvation.

Text Drawings, Illuminated Manuscripts, and Illuminations

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 and reconstructing 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. This state of being, found at the heart of spiritual traditions, is the origin and destination of all religions. In my series Illuminations, I start each piece by drawing a stack of indefinable objects, and as I paint them, I continuously erase and deface the piece. The multiple frames of reference, inconsistent light sources, and copious erasures allude to the futile efforts to define, control, and exploit an incomprehensible deity. This series also includes text cut from sacred books, which I view as poetry rather than dogma. The Illuminations are at once serious and playful, negating a single interpretation and cultivating an approach to spirituality that is inclusive and open-ended. While the central image is painted with fine detail, the marginalia often appear to be unfinished, as if abandoned mid-doodle. This is done with intention, suggesting that everything is a work in progress, even our most cherished beliefs.