While I was creating the Identity paintings, I became increasingly fascinated by how backgrounds made from natural materials, such as Christmas trees and various types of vegetation, transformed into abstract and intricate forms. (You can zoom in on the images from the Identity series below, along with investigational paintings at the bottom of the page.) I began exploring natural elements as a foundation for my paintings, using the technique described in the “My Process” section on the Artifacts page (link). A high school friend and prolific gardener living in East Moriches, Long Island, generously allowed me to use his photographs as source material, which inspired the development of my Gardenscapes series. Gardenscapes served as a precursor to Artifacts, where I shifted to using my own photographs and personal experiences as the basis for my work.