MY PROCESS

My work comes in bursts of spontaneity, and my style is colorful and energetic. I am simultaneously inspired by the abstract expressionists and the precisionists – striving for balance.

My initial images may be directly in oil paint - or they may be onsite sketches in pen and ink with watercolor. Often, the sketches will provide a way to move from what I see to an abstraction of nature or figures. Sometimes, I'll work directly on the watercolor, enhcancing it with acrylic inks or egg tempera. I love it when suddenly I “see” something suggested within the seemingly random marks. That surprises and delights me.

Taking advantage of my skills as a professional graphic designer, I’ll photograph my initial work, then enhance it digitally through color shifts and overlays of organic forms, often yielding the beginnings of a new painting in oil or a now digital base for a new piece.

Painting is a Zen experience for me. Despite procrastinating on the front end, once I get started, I am energized and lost in the process. I engage in a great deal of self-talk in color mixing and selection, mark making, and always, always tweaking. My nemesis is keeping my hands off a piece I’ve already deemed complete!