The series I call Layers developed from wanting to push myself in new ways that could stretch my boundaries as an artist and also inform my representational work at the same time. By stripping the image of representational subject matter in this series I can focus on the building blocks of painting without everything else getting in the way. The elements of the process become simplified but the challenge becomes amplified. When I’m focusing on color, value, shape, and spatial relationships without the involvement of subject matter I sometimes feel closer to my materials. It’s the tactile nature of being an artist; working with my hands as a laborer, that most satisfies my creative urges.