In the hidden object there is potential energy; the seed yet to grow, the secret, the intuition before knowledge. Is the treasure buried in order to preserve its power or to protect the seeker from its force? 

Each of these paintings represents a state between vulnerability and protection, revelation and obscurity. The symbols originate in dreams I've been given from childhood on.

Just as the dreams come from my surroundings, so do the materials I use. I collect bricks, shells, ochre, charcoal, pinesap and beeswax from my home in Spokane, Washington. The materials reinforce the symbolic meaning of the paintings. Iron rich basalt mixed with oil is like our own blood. Eggshell and river clams are protective shields. Ponderosa having given its life in fire becomes charcoal, necessary for the future growth of the next forest.