People often ask, ‘why gold?’, when they see my work. I began using 23k gold leaf on my paintings in a very limited, decorative manner in the early 2000s. By 2005, I was employing the gold for entirely different reasons, and by covering the entire substrate with 23k gold leaf, my use of gold had begun to contribute to content as well as composition. When I use gold as a background, or a banded reference to proscenium, the scale of its presence allows the gold to simultaneously convey all of the paradox that is gold.

Gold is a fundamental element of the universe, listed on the periodic table of elements as Au. Its atomic number is 79, meaning each atom of gold has 79 protons in its nucleus. It is unique in all the known universe. However, while it's chemical presence is singular and finite, it's potential for meaning and content is both vast and contradictory.

It is a mineral – solid, weighty, and of the Earth; yet it is luminous and shimmers with a sublime glow.

And while it radiates from the pages of medieval manuscripts, symbolizing the light of God, it also lies, hidden in the dark vaults at Fort Knox, embodying material wealth.

It is my goal to exploit this duality. In my mind, these images are secular icons that express my understanding that the world is an elegant blend of the corporal and the ethereal.

I FIND INSPIRATION IN THE MYSTERY OF FAITH, DREAMS, AND THE NATURAL WORLD.