The Hudson River Valley painters strove to make manifest the Sublime, to tangibly capture God and the terror of the unknown. Though sincerely intended, the works pale in contrast to the concept they attempt to elucidate. I am attracted to the irony of the missed notes in these paintings. The waterfalls, rainbows, and oversaturated colors all become absurd subversions of the artists’ intentions, and yet these qualities are, for me, what become their most beautiful and poignant elements. These fumblings and missteps are evidence of man’s inability, despite obsessive persistence, to transcribe, organize and comprehend the grandeur of the unknown. It is this bittersweet failure that fuels my current work.