Artwork, Series, and Project Statements

These statements follow the sequence of works on my site, offering a clear path through the pieces and the ideas behind them.

  • At first glance, the works in Summer Series appear visually distinct, each exploring a different arrangement of forms. Yet together they reveal a consistent through-line—my geometric language. Across the group, the pieces share the same angular structures, layered planes, shifting perspectives, and increasing complexity that define my practice. Though the compositions vary, the underlying approach remains steady: a deliberate play between precision and intuition, depth and flatness, order and disruption. Seen collectively, the series becomes less about uniform imagery and more about a unified way of seeing—one that reflects my ongoing fascination with geometry, perception, and the quiet tension created when space is constructed, fractured, and recomposed.

    One of these works, Linear Goes Array, was selected for the gallery’s 25th Anniversary exhibition. Linear Goes Array studies how a single geometric path can break into multiple trajectories, expanding into a dynamic field of angles and movement.

  • I created this series as part of a companion project within the larger international collaboration between Fountain House Gallery & Studio in New York and Bethlem Gallery in London, where artists are working together on the theme of “coming out of isolation.” In addition to our primary artwork, participants began a postcard exchange: each artist mailed a postcard featuring a small expression of their work to every member of the group, creating a simple but powerful way to build connection across an ocean.

    For my postcards, I used a technique new to my practice—scoring the surface and then brushing graphite across it, allowing the geometric forms to reveal themselves through subtle shifts in tone. Each postcard became both an artwork and a gesture—something intimate, personal, and offered freely.

    Select postcards may be included in the 2026 Coming Out of Isolation joint exhibitions in New York and London, highlighting the small but meaningful ways we reached outward and connected through art.

  • While my practice has long been rooted in linear structure, angular geometry, and the meditative repetition of methodical lines, this series introduces a new element into that language: the circle. In geometry, the circle is often associated with equilibrium and centered balance—an anchoring form defined by perfect symmetry. In these works, the orbs act as stabilizing points within shifting planes and directional lines, echoing the quiet tension and suspended balance found in sculptural mobiles. Here, the orbs function as grounded centers within shifting fields of line, plane, and division—allowing the circular form to interact with, disrupt, and define space, becoming the focal point of each composition and, ultimately, the series as a whole.

  • In early 2024, I began developing a new series without the constraints of an upcoming show or curatorial theme. This open space allowed me to return to my geometric foundations while pushing myself in new directions. I chose to work in a consistent 11” x 14” format and challenged myself to incorporate color—a deliberate departure from my usual monochromatic approach. My goal was to create a series that could function both as individual pieces and as a cohesive collection. Over the course of the project, I produced thirty works that combine color blocking, geometric forms, and precise linear structure. Together, they form an exploration of proportion, balance, and the ways in which color can shift the perception of space.

    A selection of pieces from this series was featured at the Outsider Art Fair in New York (2025) and at the Open Invitational Art Fair during Miami Basel (2025).

  • The Black Series was created during my Fountain House Gallery residency on Governor’s Island, a period of intense experimentation and discovery. While working there, I began drawing with pencil on black paper for the first time and was immediately struck by the unexpected luminosity of the lines. Against the dark surface, each mark appeared sharper, brighter, and more dimensional—revealing geometric structures with a clarity that felt both new and deeply aligned with my physics- and mathematics-influenced practice.

    Captivated by this effect, I committed to exploring it fully. Over the course of the residency, I created seventeen works using this technique, allowing the material to guide the evolution of the series. The limited palette shifted all attention to line, form, and spatial tension; the drawings became studies in precision, rhythm, and architectural movement. Working in black fundamentally reshaped how the geometry emerged, creating a coherent and cohesive body of work unified by contrast and restraint.

    Several pieces from this series were later selected for Fountain House Gallery’s Compulsive Genius exhibition, where they highlighted the structural clarity and obsessive precision that define this chapter of my practice. The Black Series remains one of the most significant bodies of work I’ve produced—born from a quiet island environment, a new material discovery, and a deepened understanding of how line alone can articulate space.

  • Created for the City Vision exhibition, this piece began with a rapid photograph taken in Manhattan’s Financial District. Unlike much of my work—where I interpret a space rather than replicate it—I approached this image with deliberate precision. I translated the photograph literally, using my signature linear style to recreate the exact perspective and overlapping geometry of the buildings. The result highlights the striking patterns and reflections that define New York City’s architectural rhythm.

  • RED — Exhibition & Artist Statement
    (Curated by Pamela Bell and Nancy Caton; exhibition concept by Nancy Caton.)

    RED grew out of a curatorial proposal I initiated for Fountain House Gallery. Unlike the conceptual frameworks that typically define group exhibitions, I wanted to center a single color—one that carries an unusually charged emotional range. Red can signal passion or protest, warmth or warning; it is a hue that provokes immediate, often conflicting reactions. By choosing a theme rooted in color rather than concept, I hoped to open up a wide spectrum of interpretation, allowing each artist to articulate their own response through their chosen medium. The result was an exhibition that revealed just how polarizing and expressive this primary color can be. RED_Press Release

    Curated jointly with Pamela Bell, the exhibition featured more than forty works that explored red’s intensity, symbolism, and emotional weight—from softness to severity, from affection to agitation. This diversity was exactly what I had envisioned when proposing the show: a space where a single color could become a catalyst for radically different artistic voices and visual languages.

    For my own contributions, I approached red through the lens of geometry and structure. In these pieces, the color operates not as decoration but as focus—punctuating fields of linear pattern, anchoring shifting planes, and sharpening the spatial tension within each composition. The red forms act as interruptions or anchors inside larger systems of lines, drawing attention to movement, direction, and internal rhythm. In keeping with my practice, each work investigates how geometry can create order, momentum, and dimensionality, but here, red becomes the initiating force: the point of heat, weight, and visual gravity.

    Together, the exhibition and my pieces reflect the emotional contradictions embedded in the color itself—simultaneously bold and precise, forceful and controlled. RED allowed me not only to contribute as an artist, but to shape a shared framework that invited others to step into the expressive possibilities of a single, powerful hue.

    If you'd like, I can also format this into two separate sections, or write micro blurbs to accompany each of the three red works individually.

  • Interior Study strips away color, objects, and distraction to focus solely on the architecture of space itself. By choosing specific viewpoints, each work highlights the inherent beauty of the interior’s structure—its walls, windows, and planes—reduced to their essential geometry. In removing everything nonessential, what remains is the interior, pared down to its essential form, structure, and quiet clarity.

  • A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

  • A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

    A casual, late-night stop at the street corner suddenly took hold of my full attention. It was a moment of both wonder and appreciation for being immersed in the magic that is New York City. Compelled by this sudden inspiration, I took multiple photographs and a few short videos of the street scene from the same vantage point. When stopped, the movement of the city became palpable. It felt alive, and made me feel alive. It was a reminder of why I have lived here for so long. 

    I later edited the images, purposely “blowing out” and overexposing them. My intention was to blur the specific details, so that what emerged was pareddown to the base feeling of the moment. Devoid of distinct features - a form of sensory deprivation - it necessarily fosters a heightening of the viewer's other senses and feelings.

    The finished product embodies the show theme of “Rise.” It is intended to provide inspiration for the future by documenting the continued motion and unique resilience that has emerged during these challenging times. 

    The movement throughout the work is key, as it evokes the buoyancy of humanity despite adversity. The work articulates the beauty to be discovered in the action of pausing. 

  • SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL 

    2021

    This photo was taken in the summer of 2021 in my backyard garden. Most simply, it is the vine growth of a sweet pea plant. 

    The image parallels the non-linear and chaotic life track of persons with mental illness. Sometimes it feels like things are spiraling out of control. However, what is notable is that there is still growth and progress. The idea that “normal” life should have a vector trajectory, one-directional, is a fallacy. There is beauty in the rotation of life. The spiraling movement also allows for varying perspectives. Nature has its own way of guiding and determining its direction, which may not be apparent upon initial inspection. The final “product” may only reveal itself with a view of the “big picture”(i.e., the flower/fruit/vegetable as a culmination of an irregular growth pattern).

    Mental illness can be interpreted in many ways. Similarly, this photo allows for differing interpretations of the same object, the “real” and the shadow. Mental illness is subjective to the observer, their biases, and the current classifications of society. 

    For me, the chaotic and spiraling element of life I experience with a diagnosed mental illness is challenging. However, this image reminds me of the beauty of the irregular path and I find within it the inspiration to go on. 

    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    DRIVING FORWARD

    2019

    This photo was taken in September 2019 while I was visiting my dad in Seattle, Washington. The image is a view from our car on one of the many ferries that traverse the Puget Sound from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula. 

    The snapshot depicts, in visual form, many of the thoughts and emotions I experience as someone with a diagnosed mental illness. First, the photo shows a limited view of the destination as framed by the boat. Next, the field of vision portrays a tumultuous future with the active and moving water and foreboding clouds. Then, there is the element of “the edge,” scary and dauntingin the near foreground, with only a meager safety chain to delineate the brink of the abyss. The expanse of the immediate space represents the unknown. Is it positive progress or motion into further darkness?

    However, there are positive elements: a view of the other side, land, stability - a destination. The concept of a gap or crossover juncture is extremely important to me, as I believe that this unique, definitive position is where “magic”lies, and where possibilities are most discernible and palpable.

    Also notable are the figures in the image. They are not engaged in the uncomfortableness of this existential moment. They mirror society - present, yet unaware of the turmoil that is brewing in others. These individuals parallel how society often interacts, or fails to interact, with people challenged by mental illness. Part of the overall panorama, but unknowing and not making a significant contribution, the silhouettes are unaware and unaffected. 

    Finally, anxiety caused by recognition of a vast and uncertain future is an important theme in this photograph. The symbolism of the “boundary,” in this case water, is also key. People with mental illness continually face boundaries, both external and self-imposed. The other side is visible but almost unreachable. However, making safe passage and reaching solid ground is a possibility. I feel these same issues align with the everyday emotions and challenges of people with mental illness.

    The goal for me is to encounter this barrier and continue to drive forward. 

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    A MOMENT CAPTURED

    2023

    This image, visually alluring, depicts a highly chaotic, fluid, and fleeting moment. It captures a rare point in time where the environment colludes with a normal, nondescript landscape to uniquely present a brief, beautiful glimpse into another reality. In what would normally be a generic photo of a NYC sky-scape, this image captures an ephemeral scene. 

    By showing this photograph, I would like to articulate parallels to the experiences of people who live with a diagnosed mental illness. I hope to draw attention to the dangerous and disturbing feelings that frequently overlay a “normal” situation, including anxiety and overthinking. The “fire-like” smoke effect mirrors the psychological distress and disruption that is often a layer that distorts reality in a way that cannot be ignored. 

    The goal of presenting this image is to challenge the viewer, garnering both a sense of allurement and, equally, a sense of distress.

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    MAGIC CITY VIEW

    2023

    “Magic City View” is a manipulated photographic image of NYC lights as seen from a high vantage point. The piece is meant to invoke a sense of wonder and nostalgia by showing the inherent beauty and chaos that defines this magical and inspirational city.

    Additionally, this privileged perspective forces me to consider my own privledges,

  • This photographic series extends my geometric sensibilities into the built environment, using the window frame as both subject and structure. Each image is intentionally composed—cropped, angled, and aligned—to foreground the intersection of architecture, perspective, and abstract form. By isolating specific planes, reflections, and sightlines, the works transform familiar New York skyscrapers into studies of rhythm, alignment, and visual tension.
    Together, they reveal how a simple shift in viewpoint can turn the everyday skyline into a precise, consciously framed composition.

  • The piece, titled “Overlapping Ideas & Connections”, is a collage work made from cut-up, carefully chosen text and images taken entirely from the book “The Tao of Physics”, by Fritjof Capra. Each piece is 5” x 7” in size and framed. Meant to be shown together, the works can be presented in either a block or linear layout. The overall size of 12 works in block format: approx. 22” x 22”.

    The selection of this particular book for the collage is extremely significant. I have had a life-long fascination with all things physics and mathematical related. My college degree however, is from another passion, philosophy. This book uniquely intertwines these areas of study and has provided me endless inspiration.

  • This artwork—conceptual, intimate, and deeply personal—sits just outside my usual medium of pencil on paper, yet remains fully connected to the themes that define my practice. It began as a self-imposed dare: to create something raw, honest, and unguarded for Fountain House Gallery’s Inside My Mind exhibition. I wanted to articulate an experience that is difficult to explain, even to therapists and doctors—the distressing, derailing sensation of my mind suddenly acting on its own.

    For years, the analogy I return to most is the Rolodex.

    At any moment, my mind seems to spin an internal wheel of memories and fling one forward without warning. There is no trigger, no clear reason, no relevance. A memory—positive or negative—simply surfaces. This involuntary “card pull” forces me to relive the moment with no preparation, often producing a cringe, a jolt of fear, a wave of unease, or even panic. The Rolodex is the closest language I have for describing this unpredictable and intrusive mental phenomenon: my mind spinning freely and presenting memories at random, entirely on its own accord.

    This piece is built from a vintage, pristine, unused 1988 Rolodex, still in its original branded box. Its untouched cards became my canvas—350 miniature artworks, some chaotic and others carefully structured—mirroring the oscillation inside my mind between disorder and hyper-organization. Viewers are invited to physically flip through the cards, engaging directly with the sensation of randomness, interruption, and unpredictability that inspired the work.

    The Rolodex of My Mind
    Nancy Caton, 2024
    350 original miniature artworks
    Found objects; watercolor; pencil and pen on paper

    Because of the response to this work, I was invited to lead an artist workshop inspired by its concept—guiding participants through a reflective process of creating their own “mind cards” as a tool for expression, self-awareness, and gentle art-therapy-adjacent exploration. It has since become a meaningful extension of the piece itself.

  • Created for Fountain House Gallery’s “Meditations of Medication” exhibition.

    This work is a clear play on the familiar idiom “seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.”

    Medication used to support people living with mental illness can be life-changing. It can shift perspective, ease symptoms, and allow individuals to “see” the world with more clarity, hope, or stability.

    At the same time, psychiatric medications can alter perception in ways that feel disorienting or distancing, raising questions about what is real, grounded, or authentically “you.”

    This interactive piece invites viewers to put the glasses on and experience an altered lens for themselves. It does not offer a judgment—positive or negative—about medication. Instead, it reflects the reality that these treatments can transform perception in meaningful, complicated ways. Each viewer, like each patient, decides whether this is the “best view.”

  • IteThis piece draws direct attention to the anxiety and uncomfortable self-awareness that often accompany taking medication for mental illness. Beyond the well-documented physical side effects, there is another layer—one that is rarely spoken about and can be just as damaging: the internal feelings of guilt, failure, embarrassment, and fear of being perceived differently simply because one is medicated.

    People who rely on mental-health prescriptions are acutely aware of their own medicated status. They follow strict schedules. They see the iconic amber pill bottle every day. That familiar container becomes a constant reminder that they are choosing to medicate in order to gain stability and maintain control over their mental health.

    This piece is interactive, inviting viewers to put the shirt on and physically experience the unease, weight, and tension associated with these medications. My hope is that engagement with the piece prompts viewers to consider questions so many medicated individuals silently carry:

    Am I acting “normal”?
    Can people tell that I’m medicated?
    Are others treating me differently because of it?
    Is my medicated self all that you see, or do you still see the real me?