I painted this series of chair. Some of these paintings were among the first pieces painted in acrylic. It was an early exploration of texture. I layered tissue paper with acrylic paint to disguise the canvas grain. And then, I used sharp objects or sandpaper to create a distressed look. What I learned from this experimentation has carried through to many other later works.

My goal for each painting was to paint the chair so that it transcended beyond being just a picture of a piece of furniture. These pieces are like portraits. Chairs have a personality of their own. What I love about these paintings is, they each allow the viewer to tell their own story in their mind. A chair can represent a person, real or imagined… perhaps a loved one that is no longer here.

I’ve been working on this series of paintings with two themes in mind. First, there is a theme of water. It’s essential to all life. And it ought to be right that is preserved for all. And in the case of sea life, the water holds many mysterious and beautiful creatures like juvenile rock fish and anemones. Second, there is a theme of restoration. As part of my process, I intentionally destroyed the painting by distressing them with sharp objects and sandpaper. Then I repaint the image. Whenever I do this, I’m always surprised by the results. Wonderful things happen that I would have never expected. It’s always more beautiful once it’s been restored.