Shadows of the Gothic (series) artist statement:

I developed this project with the intent of acquiring a greater understanding of how to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensional space with Gothic Architecture as my focus. As my work progressed, light became an important factor, in that controlling and manipulating the amount of light in the artwork could reflect specific Gothic characteristics. Stereotypically, the present-day term gothic often conjures up mysterious, eerie, medieval, and even dark or macabre settings, images or feelings. But Gothic Architecture in its own right (and specifically the cathedral) was a vehicle to convey the illumination of mind and soul, as well as the transformation of the earthly world into an other-wordly or heavenly vision. Each aspect of the architecture( structure, form, appearance) had to zero in on harmony, perfection, and beauty to transfigure the physical into the spiritual. Despite the seeming contradiction between gothic and Gothic, each underscores that light is the source and essence of visual beauty, as well as dynamic power, whether it is dramatic or divine. In the shadow of each, the human is in some way affected, whether in awe or in apprehension.

In an effort to capture some of this effect in my artwork, I sought the subterranean world of an underground chapel in CT.. Through the use of Baroque mechanics, a system of two point perspective in which the center viewpoint is abandoned in favor of several receding diagonals, I set out to portray a sense of great depth and space locked in the undercroft. Coupling this perspective with attention to the Gothic structural framework of arches, vaults, and capitals, I concentrated on the visible shadows that are cast under the varying degrees of light intensity and diffusion. The dramatic sensation of looking into such a Gothic space should convey volume, deep recesses, cavernous niches, or even a mysterious world of hidden secrets in the crypt.