Artist Highlight

I have always created. Like most children, my first audience was my family, there I gained recognition and my first taste of success. I continued working in the visual arts all through college trying almost every medium. Even though I seemed destined for an art major, a fantastic opportunity presented itself, travel the Pacific Rim for a year of school as part of an Asian Studies major. That experience and subsequent love for Japanese aesthetics and philosophy has had a great influence on my artistic expression. I settled on acrylics after working extensively with watercolors and desiring more vibrancy and less wait time for drying. At that time, the need for expediency also came from having three small children, who are no longer small but continue to influence my creative expression with their helpful critiques and encouragement to try new ideas.

My paintings are inspired by nature, play, the moment, and problem resolution. They represent balance, fearlessness, strength, and optimism. I begin each painting by choosing my colors and a feeling I'd like to express, then I go for it, painting quickly before the acrylic dries. As I paint, I paying attention to the parts and whole at the same time until balance is achieved. I paint on a variety of surfaces; canvas, masonite, and Yupo paper a synthetic surface, using many different tools to apply the paint; brushes, brayers, fingers, squeegees, pouring.  Through my art I strive to achieve spirit made manifest.