Artist's Statement

As a painter and mixed media artist, I am always looking for new ways to nurture and satisfy my drive to create. In addition to painting, drawing, collage, assemblage, photography and poetry videos, I have built a series of small wooden houses and collaged their surfaces. I’ve created branch weavings and refinished old chairs. I’ve made mosaics, mobiles, and baskets. I’ve tried welding and glass blowing. Each experience has provided me with new ways of seeing and thinking and has contributed to my art-making sensibility.

My art has a strong tactile quality with a sense of layers and surfaces. The pieces are effective when viewed from a distance and rewarding when examined closely. In addition to watercolor and acrylic paints, colored pencils, oil pastels, charcoal, ink and graphite, I work with found objects, recycled paper, cardboard, wood, string and wire.

I believe the creative process is ultimately about solving problems. It is about noticing and questioning, thinking and reacting. It involves stepping away and coming back and being open to change and possibility. It is from these practices that my art emerges and my drive to create is nurtured.

When I’m not creating, I enjoy spending time with my family, taking classes, writing, and working on a book of my photography and poetry.