Ego Strata

My work explores stories from the unwritten past. In many cases, thousands of years and layers of earth separate us from the original makers of the archaeological record, yet an invisible thread connects us through symbols. Interpreting these symbols can be the realm of creativity, but also be the cause of great misunderstanding. Faced with little information, it can be tempting to assign narrative to the unknown. Because the archaeological record is ahistorical, it can become a mirror of our own culture, bias, and folly.

To represent stratigraphy in my paintings, I layer paint, media, and sand on canvas and board. Between layers I make marks and inscribe messages. The meaning of these messages is obscured by the materials and unremembered by me.