Artist Statement
I feel strongly that creativity comes from the Creator and that I serve
as a conduit. When I am painting I am listening and allowing myself
to be led. The Earth and all of Her beings are essential to my
Spirit. Almost all of my pictures include images of animals or
nature. Usually I am using these subjects as metaphors for my own
psychological and emotional process. I also see that a large part of
what I’m here for is to serve to inspire others in their caring and
to see more deeply into unseen aspects of the natural world. I
believe that the best art helps viewers to expand their perceptions
about themselves and/or the world around them.
Inspiration
I use art for learning about myself and for growing spiritually.
Therefore I have a variety of approaches and techniques I use
depending on the subject and the moment in time. The actual
inspirations for my paintings come from a wide variety of sources. I
may be moved by a photograph (another’s or my own) or an object in
life. Sometimes I wish to express a line from a poem, or a dream, an
experience I’ve had, or a memory: a cluster of feelings. Often my
pieces encompass many layers of a complex web of feelings and ideas.
Most of my paintings are watercolors although a wide range of other
mediums supports them. I like to experiment and try something new
with each piece I create. Lately I have been combining colored
pencil with watercolor. Art is a process of learning; creativity is
all about an attitude of inner freedom. I approach my work open to
discovery.
Bio
Born in 1952, I grew up in lush green suburbs of New York and was, from
the earliest age, a lover of nature and art. My Grandmother (who was
an artist and my mentor) gave me my first set of professional
quality watercolors at age 6, and she took me repeatedly to the
museums in New York City. I attended the High School of Art and
Design and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of
Visual Arts in NYC where I majored in photography and illustration.
The main things I learned there were non-technical. The instructors
encouraged me to search for what is deepest and totally unique in me
that needs to be expressed, and to be clear in the expression.
Nature has always been an honored and wise teacher for me, and a
great source of inspiration. Many of my life's best learning
experiences have come about while backpacking in foreign countries
and remote mountains, most often by myself.
I spent 15 years working as a nature photographer and as a graphic
designer and illustrator with my own advertising studio in NYC. In
1985 I moved out West and soon gave up the commercial art field
altogether. I originated the successful craft business, Oregon Rain
Homemade Soap, in which I designed the recipes, packaging and did
all the marketing. I sold it in stores, mail order, at the Portland
Saturday Market and on the NW craft circuit.
Then I sold the soap business and moved to New Mexico for a few years.
There, I lived in a very rustic cabin with no phone, electricity or
water, high up on a remote mountain. These conditions provided a
great opportunity to be enmeshed in Nature's cycles and to work
solely in my Art (and survival) without the time consuming
distractions of making a financial living. During this period my
style and message changed and opened up as the vehicle of my art
took me to undiscovered realms and new inner connections.
Soon after returning to Oregon, I started to sell prints to friends who
approached me. I began the business of offering my Art at craft
shows and fairs in 1996. The booth is literally a traveling store.
It is hard work but I truly enjoy meeting and interacting with
people who see and buy my paintings. I learn a lot from these
sharings.
I now live in my own home which I have renovated and landscaped,
learning all of the skills needed to accomplish these creative
endeavors myself. Behind the house a forest thrives with a stream
trickling through it. My huge naturalistic garden is a certified
wildlife habitat. Other joyful activities I pursue include gourmet
cooking, yoga, ecstatic dancing, hiking and nurturing my plant
beings.
