Dark Ecology, 2026. Mixed media on paper, 12×12 inches. Original works professionally matted to 16 × 16 inches.

Dark Ecology was originally a study in color and texture but developed into an exploration of murky environments. Layers of brighter color and chunky texture were eventually quieted by deep blue tones and shallow layers of paint. The depth of these pieces comes from imperceptible layers upon layers of color and texture.

Each piece began intuitively, with the shape and feel of the paper, the color and texture of the paint, and an evolving composition revealing themselves over time. Composition does not develop quickly for me. It forms in harmony with the layers. Like an underwater environment, the illusion of depth is achieved through distortion. Distortion lies at the heart of this series.

I’ve always had a fascination with underwater environments and the life that thrives within them. Bioluminescence, especially, is a curious phenomenon. Life finding its way, even in the dark, is intriguing. Life on land has a more complicated relationship with light.

There is an alien quality to underwater spaces and the creatures who thrive there. Like space, the lack of breathable air—the air humans need for survival—creates a natural boundary between life in and out of water. Are we the aliens, or are they?

Odd that we can have diametrically opposed living environments on the same planet—life that is in opposition to itself. One above, one beneath. We stare at each other through a distorted membrane, neither of us able to fully comprehend the other. Sometimes, I feel that way when interacting with people.

I’ve dreamed many times that I could breathe underwater, floating—even held—by the thicker air of Oceana. It’s a strange paradox, at least from a human perspective, that creatures of the deep live and move suspended in their own air. Humans exert enormous amounts of energy to do the same.

What’s even more curious are those who live and move suspended in air they do not breathe, surfacing to take in the air of the land dwellers when they themselves can survive only in the water. The distortions and conundrums of life continually boggle the mind.

Dark Ecology explore life beyond the reach of easy light, reflecting the resilience of living things—their adaptation and endurance, and what it takes to truly flourish. We don’t all need the same forms of abundance. In the dark, life desires to persist. What a beautiful thought that is.