I was born and raised in the Midwest, and became interested in creating art when I refinished an old oak dresser at the age of 13. I graduated from high school, married and became a parent at the age of 20. During the years of raising my children I always found ways to explore my creativity from sewing clothes for myself or my children to quilting.
In my late 30’s I received a BA in Business and MSW in Social work. I retired early and joined the Peace Corps 2008-2009 where I taught English in Romania. Art supplies were hard to find, but my students did create Haiku poetry and art for a display in our school. This display was one of the examples used when Romania applied for entrance to the European Union.
After I returned from Romania in 2009 I began to focus on my art. Although I am mostly a self-taught I have taken encaustic classes with Ellen Koment, Paula Roland, and Harriette Tsosie. I studied oil painting with Dreama Tolle Perry and also taken online classes in acrylic. I learned to work in ink and resin classes from Jane Monteith. I also work as a docent in Albuquerque Art and History museum. In addition, I was the educational director for the Encaustic Art Institute, demonstrating with a Roland Hot Box in high school art classes in Albuquerque Public Schools.
I have been a member of Yucca Art Gallery in Old Town for the past six years and contributed by helping with publicity, social media, organizing the airport display, wall curator and events coordinator.
Artist Statement
I am an experimental painter who explores oil, acrylic, ink and resin. In my work I combine the world I see with my imagination. The results are semi-realistic images that often feature landscape, figurative and symbolist elements.
My work is intuitive since I create as I paint. Sometimes the inspiration for a painting is a place that I have visited or hope to visit one day. I am inspired by the abstract yet figurative works of Cathy Hegman and Dan McCaw. I like the transparent application of oil paint by Dreama Tolle Perry. I have taken encaustic classes from Ellen Koment and Paula Roland in Santa Fe, and cold wax and oil from Rebecca Crowell.
For each painting I select the medium that best suits the subject matter and idea I am pursuing. I am always curious to experiment with new techniques, such as incorporating photography or collage, or new ways of mark making. I like to introduce humor both in the painting and the title selection. For instance, a coyote in a suit with a bow tie is titled “Guess Who Came to Dinner.” Most often I arrive at the title as I am painting and then sometimes before I begin, which gives direction to the piece.
Sometimes the finished piece works and sometimes is does not. All is part of the creative process. Most importantly I am happiest when creating art and I hope to convey this joy to those who view my work.
