Artist’s Statement

I like to get my hands dirty with charcoal and paint. As a child with a rich imagination, creating art was one of the ways I “played”. As an adult I also “play” while making art, but it has another role for me as well. I live with a misunderstood and complicated illness, so being creative now is also about escape, healing, and rejuvenation. Currently, I create silkscreens and paint in both acrylic and encaustic, an ancient art form dating back to the Greeks which involves the use of heated beeswax and colored pigments. I draw inspiration from the natural world, having been interested in organic forms since I was a teenager sculpting in clay. 

In my paintings, I use pastels, oil sticks, collaged elements and photographs I have taken to create layered meanings and to enrich a viewer’s sensory experience. My encaustic work includes rich textural surfaces and luminous colors to create surreal and mysterious atmospheres that instill calm or inquisitiveness. In my acrylic paintings, depending on my mood, I rearrange and abstract landscapes to reflect the chaos of daily life, or I use harmonious colors and balanced compositions to bring tranquility to myself and the viewer. My silkscreens include bold colors in high contrast to create drama and power.

Biography

My interest in art began at an early age and intensified when my parents founded the Brentwood Art Center, a school of fine art, in Los Angeles, CA. As a teen, I was happiest with my hands in clay while working from a model, or when I wielded a blow torch while welding a metal sculpture. I explored many different media over time and eventually found my voice in mixed media painting. 

I studied English literature and art history at Pitzer College in Claremont, California and law at UC Hastings. My law practice was cut short when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and creating art became my therapy. Over the years, I have attended classes and workshops at Kala Printmaking Institute in Berkeley and the Richmond Art Center. I have also studied with Certified Golden Working Artist Tesia Blackburn. I live in Albany, CA with my husband, son, daughter who is occasionally home from college, and dog, Tucker. When I have enough energy to create art, I work at the Firehouse Art Collective in Berkeley, CA.