Dreamcatchers — Series Description
As a teenager, I spent countless hours drawing surrealistic scenes and was first introduced to scratchboard in a general art class. I became enamored with the medium and went on to create an entire black-and-white surrealist series titled Windows, in which each piece was divided into smaller vignettes—visual portals into other worlds. While the process was rewarding, it was also extremely time-intensive, shaping both my patience and my appreciation for detailed, print-based craftsmanship.
Over the course of three decades working with photo editing and graphic design software, I developed a digital process that allows me to create large-scale works with the same tactile sensibility and visual discipline as traditional printmaking. Drawing inspiration from Native American culture, I named this body of work Dreamcatchers, using surrealism as a metaphor for a dream state—a subconscious window into the soul. Each piece is constructed from approximately 80–100 layered images and backgrounds, composed using the mathematical principles of the Golden Ratio to guide the viewer’s eye through the environment. The works are intentionally rendered in black and white, initially to echo traditional engraving and printmaking techniques, but more importantly to invite the viewer to interpret what is sky, land, or water through their own perception.
Each Dreamcatchers work is released as a limited edition archival giclée printed at a commanding scale of 48″ × 48″. This size allows the viewer to become fully immersed in the landscape, while also enabling the inclusion of intricate elements as small as half an inch—details that reward prolonged viewing and discovery. Hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars, signed and numbered, and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, these works are intended to be experienced slowly, encouraging the viewer to drift through the imagery and remain suspended in a waking dream state.