I think in shapes. Indigenous art systems from the southwest also rely on geometry to create imagery. To me, shape relationships are a magical way for images to take form. Contemporary and ancient ‘images of power’ are recurring themes in these paintings. I work with acrylic – paint and yarn. I consider my rugs to be ‘paintings in yarn’. The combination of iconography and geometric patterning gives them a heightened sense of abstraction. I view my painting process as being closer to sign painting than to easel painting. I allow myself the freedom of walking around a painting with one element at a time trying to explore all of its possibilities. I prefer to use water-based paint because water enables me to move in a way that oil-based paint will not. I achieve many of the shape relationships in my paintings by cutting tape directly onto the surface of the canvas to mask out colored areas. Paint stains are often the basis of a new composition. Spilling paint directly onto the surface of a canvas is one way I keep myself off balance. When a painting becomes too rigid, I take a palm sander to the surface. This distresses the image, which I inevitably have to rebuild. If needed, I use broad gestures of paint to revive a painting. When all else fails, I throw the painting into the washing machine.