My paintings are contemporary impressionist in style. I combine strong composition and value with spontaneous application of colorful pigments using the effects of natural light. In my landscapes I hope to conjure up memories of a time in our lives or a desired place yet to visit. I like to catch the significant characteristic and energy of the people in my paintings and drawings. I combine this casual spontaneity with my classical training to produce my original pieces.

I specialize in black and white photography.  I seek to create compelling images using natural light and a bit of serendipity.
 

Drawing, I have learned over time, is the foundation of my creative work. It reflects how I move, breath, see and communicate with the world around me. It is present in all my work, including all that I sew, bind and construct. I am interested in drawing forth something from nothing, from the empty space/place. This informs the way I choose materials and the way in which I work to transform surfaces. I am currently working with simple mediums, India ink or gouache applied with fine lined brush on paper and on white washed laminate board.

impression / expression

Or

I explore the mysteries:
human nature and spirit,
birth and afterlife,
devotion and dreams.

the metaphors of gestation and birth
link
our human bodies with our spiritual conciousness.

I respond to the tension
between quiet nature and the industrial world,
in the architecture of bones, birds, the human body.

Beeswax, clay, paper;
steel, resins, plastics;
the materials chosen for each sculpture embody poetic meaning.

My recent work was made over a five-year period in Providence, Rhode Island. Working at an inner city school, I photographed students with strong roots in countries such as Laos, Cape Verde, and Dominican Republic. The children were often facing incredible hardships yet maintained a resiliency and strength of character.  At the time, my husband and I lived in an old Tailor shop for little rent in an area called the Armory District.  It was here I also began to photograph our neighborhood in a state of gentrification.

What influences me most are the overlooked, ignored, and forgotten elements of life, moments and people taken for granted in our hyper-active society. Using multiple media, from charcoal to photography to installation, I provide an intimate atmosphere for reflection, discussion, and ultimately, change.

In a life that can be quirky and unpredictable, where chaos is often the norm, and where most plans are tentative, my artistic work provides a refuge.   I’ve spent two decades raising children all the while fitting ‘artist’ into a mix of diapers, housekeeping, soccer practices and the PTA.

The imagery I use in my current work comes from organic geometry found in the undergrowth landscape of the Northwest. I define close-up scenes of the forest floor with great detail to pull the viewer in, as they reflexively look for realistically defined objects and find an image that expands perceptions of the scale of nature via the difference in sizes of the smallest shapes and the largest areas in the image.

When creating my artwork I love that moment when I find something forming and I know that whatever I am working on has a direction, purpose, and a point. My work begins by letting unpredictable splashes and strokes of paint get pulled by gravitational flow, down the canvas. After a series of loose gestures and blocking techniques, I look for highlighted ideas and cues to start forming my vision of the painting. I begin fleshing out the forms and soon a story unfolds, whether it’s humorous, sad, simple or complex.