The Hansen Collection

Artist Statement

It was through scenic art education and practice that I found my way to painting—first as craft, then as language. I earned a B.A. in Theatrical Scenic Design with a minor in Art from the College of Charleston (1995), and later continued my studies with graduate painting classes at Arizona State University (1998–1999).

My early career moved through theatre and scenic work, including summer-stock engagements with The Santa Fe Opera and The Seaside Music Theatre, followed by work as a scenic artist in Phoenix’s trade-show industry. I later co-owned New Craft Design, a custom furniture and cabinetry studio, and worked extensively as a scenic, faux-finishing, and mural artist. Across these paths, I developed a deep sensitivity to surface, materials, and the immersive act of exploration through creativity.

I approach painting as a meditative practice—moving through highs and lows, flowing with layers, color, and space as they push against one another in a series of failures and resolutions. Each painting carries a layered history—countless marks sacrificed, covered, and obscured—marking a continual search for balance and conversation.

For me, art is a place of alchemy and the distillation of thought. Some works capture places or people, while others move through an imagined world where mark-making and meaning interact. My painting practice has a buoyancy that carries me through a world that often makes a lot of noise and not a lot of sense.

Today, I remain deeply committed to painting, exploring the space between landscape and abstraction—where memory, perception, and presence converge.