Skolithos, 2026. Oil on canvas
Two brand-new paintings will be included in the exhibition Allowed to See Differently at Black Moth Tattoo and Gallery, 2209 East High Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The exhibition runs from September 1 – 30, 2026, with an artists reception on Friday, September 4th from 6-9pm.
These paintings are part of a new series inspired by the diverse geology of Pennsylvania. Each painting weaves together multiple forms of imagery: sketches of rock formations, scientific illustrations depicting their formation processes, and unique elements of their geology. Skolithos is based on the landscape in Money Rocks County Park, near Lancaster. The structure of these quartzite rocks, which date from the Cambrian period (538-486 million years ago), is created by a process called jointing. Another feature is surface traces made by prehistoric worms—skolithos. Metarhyolite is based on Sunset Rocks in the Michaux State Forest, which are largely composed of a metamorphosed igneous rock— metarhyolite—that is hard and fine grained, and therefore was a key material for stone tools made by indigenous people from 10,000 years ago up until the 1600s. Some of the paint used in these works as handmade from my soil and lake pigments.