I have been a creative soul since childhood. Throughout my adult life, I have worked as a decorative artist, an art teacher, and an artistic mentor. My artistic voice and purpose are inspired by my experiences — journeys that have taken me from the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan to museums and galleries around the country, exhibiting a vast diversity of culture and art from around the world.

Each of my three collections — Museum Diaries, Shifting Landscapes, and BackSplash — has its own mission, character, and heart. In all my work, I strive to bring my life’s experiences forward and share them with the viewer. My work, in part, explores the creative process itself, embracing its imperfections and engaging in the reinterpretation of artistic objects.

MATERIALS

Thanks to my background in decorative art, I’ve felt moved — almost obligated — to explore a wide array of materials, each with its own particular qualities. 

My details and linework feature markers, paint pens, pastels, and graphite, while I implement a variety of glazes, foils, mica powders, and paints (including house paint) for broad spaces of canvas. 

It is my understanding of and fascination with each medium that has been the common thread through all of my work, and I continually strive to expand my limits.

TECHNIQUE

I embrace exploration and experimentation. I reject the idea of perfection. We are humans, and it’s the imperfection and uniqueness of the individual hand which sets us apart from machines and mass production. If one looks closely at Japanese Art, for instance, it is the asymmetry, blank space, and blemished objects that create beauty.

Being worn is a result, sign of, and effect of life and natural interaction. I love that the Parthenon and DaVinci’s Last Supper are not the bright and vivid colors they originally were. They show interaction with time and the elements. That makes them more alluring & valuable to me.

Now that we have the ability to do exact reproductions, it is my wish to be unencumbered by the need for perfection. It is my hand and imprint of my uniqueness which is my desire to share.

The application of textures, the subtle layering of translucencies, and the boldness and brilliance of metallics are frequent visitors to my paintings. But it’s the play of sheen — through the use of varnish (in selected sections) and the interaction with natural light — that is most significant. The work takes on a different life in different placements, times of day, and seasons of the year. 

As with life itself, change is a constant. Once embraced, this metamorphosis can be an alluring and captivating experience.