Mixed Media artist

As a child growing up in the Bay Area I would draw in notebooks and on scraps of paper. In my twenties I'd moved to Washington state and started using acrylics as a way to channel creative forces that needed to get out into the world. As a self-taught painter, my journey was a slow one. Then there came almost 20 years where my creativity turned to writing and running a business. After returning to California I found I needed painting in my life full-time. It wasn't enough to think about it, or make it a hobby. I need to paint. So I paint.

I began painting with acrylic, and it continues to show me its diversity.  It's allows me to create everything from washes to deep, vibrant textures and fine details. I've added inks, charcoal, pastels, watercolor pencils, paper, and texture mediums to my painting supplies. Playing is an important part of the process for me. Although time consuming and sometimes frustrating, new materials develop new techniques and forms of expression in my art. I continue to try new mediums and continue to learn more about where my art can take me.

The world around me provides great inspiration. I find myself collecting photographs with certain colors or light, or a pose or perspective that I find interesting.  Depending upon my mood I may paint people, animals, or shapes. Color inevitably changes in the most unplanned ways, and intentions bend to whatever the paint will give me. My final paintings are ultimately revealed in the last moments when I lay down my brush. The paint will do what the paint wants to do. I just move it around.