"The Gathering"
12" x 12"
acrylic, graphite, charcoal, and ink on panel board

2020

BIO
I've been compelled to create art since I was a young girl (I was even banned from looking at the newspaper before my Dad because I doodled all over it). Pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor were what I used most when I first began creating. Having lived all over and with frequent travel, I was exposed to many different areas of the country and so my mind grew. I knew I was an artist--until I was blindsided by a young college professor who told me that my natural ability was "too stylized and will never sell." At that time I lacked the self-belief to push back and I began the journey I needed to take to get to where I am today. If I'm not creating art, I'm not happy, I'm not settled, and I fill with angst. I need to create in order to process what is happening in my life. And so I DO, drawing, photographing, painting, mixing media and techniques to respond to the world around me, reflect what I see and imagine, and to express what I am feeling.

ARTIST STATEMENT
I'm always asking myself, "What if?" My ideas are provoked by what I'm seeing, what I'm hearing, and how I'm feeling. Many of my visual cues come from forms in nature or moments created when light intersects with dimension. Figures or faces often appear in my work because I find people quite fascinating. My most personal work happens when I examine and translate human experience into art. My tenacious curiosity, tireless observation, and drive to express myself artistically mean that I'm always painting in my head. I look at things and see how I would paint it. Often when I start a painting, it turns out to be something completely different. My intended work is often reshaped by the experience I'm having while creating the piece--sometimes with the materials themselves or with evolving concepts. I'm curious about the work I continue to do and am excited about where it will take me.