Art helps me make order of my life, my thoughts and emotions. I want my audience to feel intrigue, maybe a sense of calm or inspiration when viewing my work. I’m showing my unconscious world and hopefully this creates untold stories for the viewer.
I strive for all the elements in a painting to work together, though there is usually a quirkiness, some imperfections. It’s natural for humans and nature to be imperfect and I like to show that.
My intuition guides me as I work improvisationally, moving back and forth between loose mark-making and more defined, controlled marks and shapes. I love the dichotomy of this combination. My marks eventually begin forming their own spaces, alternate universes as I like to think of them. There is sometimes a passage of time as one moves through different areas of the piece.
My materials include acrylic paint, collage and drawing materials and old art work – anything I find that is of visual interest. My surfaces are multi-layered, allowing the viewer to understand the process of making. By continuing to hide, partially expose, or fully expose each layer, I reveal the unique character of each piece.
Artists who have had major influences on me are Judith Geichman and John Reuter-Pacyna, both instructors from the School of the Art Institute. I learned about materials, accidental and purposeful marks and composition from them both.