Mandalas, commonly used as an aid to meditation, represent a spiritual journey through their symbolic structure.

The geometry of these symbols has come to serve as an organizational device in my paintings, creating tension between the structured, imperfect symmetry of the form and free visual exploration. I start each of these paintings simply, choosing a color or dividing the space. The process of building repetitive layers is meditative, like a dream state, with the irrationality of dream logic ultimately reflected in titles like “Playing Cards with Medusa” and “Samurai in Rome.” Desire also exists within the dream state — desire, the energy of life, which compels me to remain there. Ultimately, life is a pendulum, constantly swinging between apathy and desire, propelling us out of our stillness.

This series was deeply inspired by The Red Book by Carl Jung, which contains painted mandalas and written dream stories from 1914 to about 1930. It was kept secret until it was widely published in 2012.