My Artistic Journey

  I grew up in a home surrounded by natural beauty and an appreciation for nature. My mother was very artistic and crafty and we often did creative projects together in preparation of holidays, as gifts and a way to express ourselves. I made handmade greeting cards and books from the earliest time I can remember. 

Many years later, I knew that something was missing from my life and that busyness at business just was not feeding my soul. I began to draw and paint, attended some weekend retreats with a focus on creating and painting, and felt enlivened.  I started my studio with just a pad of paper on my desk.  

Over time, my painting styles have diverged into several types.  Primarily when I work with high pigment tempera, my paintings tend to be visceral, intuitive, and what I call "modern primitive" or folk art with a spiritual twist. I like that tempera paint has a long history, that it has lasting power. Since medieval history is also important to me, even though my subjects are different from those medieval artists might have painted, I choose to use tempera to be in touch with that historic link. I love using high pigment tempera paint because the colors are exquisitely vivid and easily layer to create depth and richness. In my watercolor paintings, I tend more toward florals, landscapes and seasonal depictions although I rarely adhere to a pastel palette so frequently associated with watercolor work. My New Mexican roots and my meandering spiritual journey show up in my color palette, the symbology that appears or the subject matter of all of my different artwork.

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Working in mixed media and using found objects for assemblage is the most freeing of all the mediums I utilize in my art as I feel there are no rules that bind me to any tradition or expectation.  My mixed media and found object assemblages tend to cluster in groups based on themes and iconic images, saints, angels, celebrity, and other motifs that draw upon a wide interpretation of representational ideas.

For many years I have created surface designs and sold them on a variety of products on demand. I recently began developing my design portfolio and am actively seeking collaborations and product licensing. I love seeing my designs come to life on fabrics and products. I currently have a wide variety of designs on Spoonflower and RedBubble.  I continue to work in all of the various mediums I have explored depending on what interests me on a given day.  My artwork  is influenced in part by folk artist Howard Finster, as well as the freedom of expression exhibited in the works of  Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, Pablo Picasso, Tracy Emin, Hilda af Klimt, Henry Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, SARK,  Dale Chihuly and many other artists whose work I admire immensely.