Artist Statement
I tell stories that might be. I’m a colorist and a choreographer of nuances, weaving together memories, observation, invention and suggestion, often with an added dusting of whimsy. My subject matter evolves from within the paint itself. I don’t start with any preconceptions of how the finished piece will look. Thin, transparent washes, opaque strokes of thick paint and vibrating fields of color combine to create the subject of each painting. My goal is to present the immediacy of the moment and to bring it to life.
Background
I’ve lived for extended periods in Italy, England and Japan, and recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina, from coastal Maine. Each of these unique cultures has influenced and contributed to my artistic vision and growth. My university training was in non-objective abstract art. After graduation, I felt the need to incorporate representational elements in my work. I was living in Naples, Italy, and my years there allowed me repeated access to some of the greatest museums in the world. This served as my own self-guided MFA program, and is an experience for which I am extremely grateful. I moved into the watercolor medium at that time, when my children were small, and I continued to work in it exclusively for the next 10 years. This was followed by a ten-year period of working exclusively in pastels, which I fell in love with while living in England. Ultimately, I took up oils, which opened a Pandora’s box of technical tricks, surprises, and unending fun in the studio.
Working Process
My work starts with color. Color in art is as seasoning in food - it’s the flavor that makes the dish. So, first, I decide ‘what I’m hungry for,’ and I grab tubes of paint that seem to fit that flavor/color profile. They are never the same from painting to painting, or even from day to day within the same painting. The subject evolves from color shifts, lines, smudges and gestural brushwork, always emerging from within the working process, and working together to weave a tapestry of color with suggestions of recognition and surprise.