These encaustic paintings on weathered wood are the outcome of a moment in which two seemingly disparate subject matters find common ground.

Walking in an orchard, seeing fallen apples surrounding the trees, I felt an internal connection with a theme I had been carrying that reflected my work with a group of artists related to the Middle East.

I realized that I wanted to creatively interweave this newfound image of fallen fruit with the portraits I had been developing inspired by La Convivencia (the coexistence of Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Spain from 711 - 1492 AD).

I began to paint the apples in various stages of ripeness and decay, while also expanding the portrait work to focus not only on the living artists, but to evoke their ancestors as well.

In the studio, this new dynamic freed me to let the human tensions interact with the natural shapes, leaving their imprint on the worn and textured surfaces.