I have found the process of making a painting to be the most challenging, intimidating and rewarding process I have ever experienced. It requires that I dig deep within myself to find authenticity and honesty. I love to work fast and with gestural marks, but I also seek accuracy in the features of a face or figure.
I love the wealth of colours that my paints create, the feel of the paint and the illusion of space that a painting can capture. I believe that colours and textures can provide "inflection" in addition to the storyline of the subject matter. By developing my use of colour and texture and integrating it with figures or portraits, I hope to create an ambiance that resonates beyond the primary image; specifically, the mood or feeling I'm wrestling with at the time my brush touches the canvas. In that way, the figure or portrait acts as a carrier for the emotions I'm experiencing or wish to convey.
I have a degree in Fiber from the Kansas City Art Institute; for 20 years I created fiber art and ran my own business making silk cord for jewellers. In 1995 I discovered woodworking and for the following 14 years designed and built studio furniture; I was published in Fine Woodworking Magazine. In 2009 I moved to British Columbia and – because my shop was temporarily in storage – began painting. That was the unexpected start of a passionate love affair with painting faces and figures.