Artist Statement

"You are not afraid of using color.”

This is usually the first thing said when someone sees my art. I take it as a compliment. I love color. The brighter and more saturated the better. I’m also fascinated by texture. My paintings and collages explore both.

A favorite childhood memory shows me lying on my living room floor. My family swirls about while I draw pictures of Snoopy over and over again. I could never get the curve of his nose quite right but I still thought the picture was awesome. I couldn’t be happier to try again and again to get it right. That’s how I feel about my paintings now. I’m happy while painting them and I hope people are happy while looking at them. I also can’t wait to do another one.

My first step to making art is always playing with colors until I come up with a combination I’d like to explore. Then painting with acrylics on Yupo paper gives me immediate satisfaction. I can work fast, let it dry, make changes or start on another one.

Again after picking colors, my collages begin with painting acrylics on glass. Next I turn the glass over and underneath I experiment with textures such as yarn, fabric, wallpaper, images, etc.

Collage is a slower process but also engaging since the possibilities are so plentiful. I know my collage is finally finished when I think, “I’d like to hang that on my wall.”

Inspiration hits my many times a day, usually when I’m outside. Flowers, trees, beaches, swimming pools, sunsets and hikes all make me want to grab my markers or pastels to sketch out the colors and shapes.

I don’t believe a viewer needs any information to understand my work. I hope it is apparent that I find colors joyful. Painting and creating makes me happy. If a little of those feelings transfer to the audience, my work has succeeded.