I have always created but it wasn’t until I finished my graduate degree in counseling and began working in the field that I realized the absolute importance of a creative outlet. A few years ago, with the support and encouragement of my dear hubby, I made the decision to take a break from the mental health field and since then I have been painting full time.  I am self-taught; for me, each day in my studio is a new experience with color, form, line and texture.

I approach each piece with an idea, but rarely is the finished product anything like what I initially envisioned; it’s taken time and practice to realize the organic nature of each piece and how with very little guidance from me, each piece seems to actualize in my hands.

Most of my work begins with several layers of acrylic paint and glazes.  Often I use torn or textured hand-made paper or found pieces such as vintage sewing patterns, origami paper and sheet music or printed text of my design, these may be crumpled for texture or arranged in layers. Glazes are then applied with a brush and wiped away leaving a build up of transparent color in the trenches created by the paper and paint.  In the final layers I often utilize charcoal, graphite, pastels, or water media.  The finished piece is then sealed with wax medium.  All of my work is either framed or on gallery wrapped canvas.