Inspiration

  My desire to capture a moment, a feeling, an interaction is what drives me to create, and creating art fills me with joy. Walking in natural settings, strolling along a river is more than exercise to me, these are engagements in a world of beautiful contrasts and dancing light. These visual patterns excite me. I love getting lost in the song of color: cranked up and loud.  There are those moments when a canvas seems to call to me, and I can hear exactly how the paint should play. I never underestimate the value and purity of the unexpected surprise while creating art. I want my art to invite its audience to step into that quiet moment where the only noise heard is the voice of the colors and composition: to find pure pleasure as they observe a piece or find solace in acknowledging an emotion or perhaps a memory, whether tender or ravaged.

Techniques

Whether I am creating with paint, inks, pastels, or messing around with collages, I purposefully consider the palette. Of late, I find myself getting jazzed up when I play in the mixed media arena. I almost always work in a series of pieces, though they need not be related in subject matter. After several rounds of thumbnails, I begin painting. I prefer to create still-life paintings from direct observation, but landscapes seem quick to change and can be challenging to capture. When I am out on a river walk or riding down a road, I take pictures capturing a moment that attracts my eye. Painting from a captured photograph leaves room for imaginative twists inspired by memory and emotion of that encounter. Abstractions often are beautiful accidents for me, and when they happen I let them lead.

career highlights

CVP alumni

Artist Retreat at Hui Ho' olana on Molokai, Hawaii

Find Your Joy alumni

8Paint Learning to See alumni

Studied under Nicholas Wilton, Louise Fletcher, Gabriel Lipper, and Alain Picard

Grand Opening of Turn Up the Color Studio/Gallery at 205 West Main St. in Louisa, Virginia on March 15th, 2022