Magic and mystery are the key elements I most desire to depict in my abstract paintings. Music, symbolic imagery and spontaneous creative expression is my usual inspiration. I begin my paintings with no subject, concept or plan; just a contemplative state of being, relying on creative energy to see where it will take me.
I consider a painting finished when it has a certain magic or glow that corresponds with my concept of beauty and the wish that it will resonate with the viewer. My preferred medium is oil and cold wax on canvas or prepared board. My painting technique involves building multiple layers of paint and then removing areas of paint and rebuilding new layers to reveal changing colors, contrasts, forms and textures. Often I combine other media such as charcoal, crayon, marble dust, sand, gold leaf and so on. I don't paint with brushes, but with tools such as paint rollers, pot scrapers, palette knives, steel wool, sponges and sticks. I was classically trained in painting and drawing and have continued painting all my life although my profession was as a clinical social worker. During the last several years, I have begun publicly showing my work. Since then my work has been shown in numerous juried exhibits and galleries, including two solo shows at the Kirkwood Train Station and in October 2018 at the Third Degree Glass Factory. I also paint pet portraits in oil, specializing in horses, but all animals are a joy to paint. |