About the artist
Most of my artwork is figurative abstract, featuring mostly female figures or depicting couples, both male and female. The theme is to project an emotion or feeling at a specific moment in time that the viewer can interpret in relation to their own experiences and present situation.
People in general are fascinating to me. I take random photos of people wherever I go and try to capture the special spark I saw in that moment and bring it into my art.
I paint in acrylic, using tissue paper, wrapping paper, copper foil, and gold foil when creating mixed-media pieces. I will paint and repaint until I have a result that I like. Then, depending on the size of the canvas, I will take it to the kitchen sink or outside and use a hose to scrub most of the paint off, leaving behind impressions. I then start rebuilding the image until I like it again.
This process gives me the layering and uneven textures that I quite like. It also creates happy accidents, which are often the best part. Sometimes a piece just flows, and I like it too much to scrub it down and start again.
I will occasionally purchase preprinted canvases from Goodwill or a consignment shop and paint over them, leaving a bit of the original print visible beneath the new paint. These are fun because it is not always obvious where the piece is going.
When I find myself confronting the question, “What am I doing?” I tell myself to just do something. Simply putting some paint on the canvas gets me started and allows the work to lead me wherever it is going.
