Art has been a means to express myself where words fail me. My intent is to capture the felt experience of a place, or the vastness of an emotion. Often that translates into abstract, colorful pieces. My art leans toward fanciful, but the perspective comes from a personal reality. I make my own frames out of old barn wood and use mix media gold that I hand paint on giclee prints on stretched canvas and premium watercolor paper.
Growing up in Orange County in Southern California, my life was rich with people and activities. Siblings, friends, figure skating, and endurance athletics. But I also felt an intense void that wasn’t filled until I spent time in the Sierra Nevada. Since then I have found inspiration in many of the world’s beautiful places including Nepal, Iceland, Israel, Africa, and Mexico, mostly from the vantage of my bike seat. Often during those times I worked with whatever supplies were available, mostly pen and ink in sketchbooks.
I find that watercolor provides vibrancy and brings a natural element to the canvas. It can be guided but not directed. Working with watercolor is a continual lesson to which I am a perennial student.
I equally value and create pieces that are a deep study of a particular plant or animal, or a broad-view of a vast landscape. I think my most appreciated works are the ones that integrate the human experience with the natural world.
I feel fortunate to divide my time between Plumas County and South Africa, places where inspiration is so abundant that it can be difficult to settle on the next subject to paint.
