With every piece I create, I seek to show myself something I have never seen. I want to surprise myself, to see an inner fantasy or dream externally revealed. And while these dreams are not always conveniently pretty or beautiful, they are the essence of who I am and what I wish to express. It has become increasingly difficult for us to preserve our connection to that which is primitive and elemental within ourselves. I strive to map that connection.

I focus on imagery that is inspired by Japanese fables and Edo period artists. It is Eastern in character, but not necessarily directly derived from a strictly indigenous tradition. Though my imagination is Eastern, much of my formal training and technique is Western. Over the years I have discovered that using Western techniques gives my work more strength and greater solidity.

Texture and imagination are very strongly linked in my pieces. Texture excites my imagination. In every one of my paintings, my imagination chooses specific textures and not others. These choices and the resulting textures both summon and sustain the passion that drives me. This is why I work in oils. Oils allow me the freedom and flexibility to work within a wide range of textures; this way I am able to more fully express my imagination’s intent.

Currently I work on wood, a material that both Japanese and Western artists have used for centuries. It has been a Japanese tradition, from before the Heian period, to use wood. Wood contains spirit; it is alive, an element. Different types of trees have different spirits, and each piece has a different character. Every time I see a slab of wood, it is as though I am meeting a new person - the grain and texture are different and so is its personality. This intrigues me.

Sometimes an unexpected interaction occurs, and a surprising relationship develops between the wood and me. So until I complete a work, I do not know what will result. When I work with wood I have a mental conversation with it. Sometimes I cannot draw a straight line because of the grain. “Let me do it,” I say to the wood. If the wood and I agree, it is simple. Sometimes though, we cannot agree and it becomes a struggle between us as the wood and I clash, battle, and eventually forge the final product together. Color is a sensitive aspect of a painting for me, and there, too, the wood and I must achieve harmony, since the same color will vary on different woods. In the end I work with wood because it stirs my imagination. It is a powerful material. I have to be strong; my work has to be strong to work with the wood.