Artist Statement:

I’ve used bridges as my primary inspiration for the
last ten years. Based in Chicago, I began my
exploration with the world’s largest collection of
bascule bridges. Recently I have begun to branch
out to other “bridge cities” including Boston, New
York City and Pittsburgh.
I select certain design elements and eliminate
background context in order to emphasize form.
The details of massive structures reveal the many
individual components. What may appear to be a
random arrangement of bolts and rivets has, on
close inspection, a rigidly patterned logic.
Abstracted from their surroundings, the bridges
take on new aspects. Some look dangerous,
others elegant. The forms are presented in
“natural” bridge colors in bold contrast to the voids
that they span. They float in light that plays across
the surface details. The variations can be simple
or elaborate, ranging from limited themes of a few
notes to grand, fugal extravaganzas.

The subjects are painted to look “real”, but this is
a deliberate illusion. I paint an idealized version of
reality on a scale that allows the viewer to enter
into the structure and appreciate the
monumentality of the form.
The bridge subject suggests several layers of
“reality”. Much of human experience involves the
use of mundane things that we take for granted.
These works focus attention on things we use
every day but may never really see. The paintings
celebrate the amazing forms that grow from the
simplest elements. They reflect the expertise and
creativity of the engineers and designers that
imagined their creation, as well as those that
provide the materials and labor to create them.
Bridges also stand as a proxy for human society.
As the nut and bolt is to the bridge, so to is the
contribution of each individual in forming our
society. Both are essential for spanning the
challenges of daily existence.
Queensboro   acrylic on canvas, 2007, 46x70
145th St.  acrylic on canvas, 2007  45x60
Hell's Gate, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 45x60
Riverside, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 60x40
Roosevelt Island, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 66x44
Northern Ave.  2006, acrylic on canvas, 40x60