A love of art was instilled in me at an early age by my mother. Not an artist, but an appreciator, she ensured that her four children were exposed to all kinds of art and culture. Growing up near New York City provided many opportunities to visit museums and galleries. As an introverted child and teen, I spent many hours drawing; it was a quiet escape from 3 close-in-age siblings.
After high school, I focused on the performing arts, earning a degree in Theatre from Hamilton College in upstate New York. After college, I moved to Boston and attended Lesley College where I received a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology. I was a college counselor for most of my career, first in Boston, then San Diego, and finished my career in New Mexico at CNM. Art was a way to continue to nurture myself while working at a challenging output-oriented job focused on others.
Art remained a passion through different phases of my life; I discovered the joy of creating in different art forms, from drawing, photography, and pottery to more recently printmaking and mixed media art. Since moving to New Mexico from San Diego with my husband and young daughter in 2001, I have been inspired to create by the beauty and colors around me. While working at CNM, I happened upon a weekend printmaking workshop taught by Lyn Pierre. I had no previous experience in printmaking but was captivated by the process, from carving and etching to layering ink and watching the image develop and change. Results can often be magical! I was hooked and have continued to study with Lyn and other artists to develop my skills in different types of printmaking, and to develop my style and voice as an artist. The support and camaraderie I have found in the printmaking community at CNM has been an added benefit.
Since retiring from CNM in 2020, I feel like I am embarking on a more creative and joyful phase of my life. Recently I have been exploring mixed media art which allows me to combine printmaking with other art forms and to continue to discover and play!
Previous exhibitions included: New Mexico Art League, Tortuga Gallery, Gallery ABQ, Gallery 5G and the Placitas Community Library.
Artist Statement
Creating art has changed my way of seeing the world. It has renewed my sense of wonder and awe in the beauty of nature. I find joy in the small things, the shape and texture of a cottonwood twig, iridescent color on an insect’s wing, the angles and shapes in a building, light and shadow. When these small images are magnified, they can look like something altogether different. I am intrigued by patterns and forms found in nature, and these patterns can often be found in my printmaking and mixed media artwork. Nature is perhaps my greatest inspiration, but I also enjoy working with old family photographs and the sense of history and connection they inspire.
