Painting for me is a form of storytelling. My ideas start with a personal connection to a place, object, or person. It is the spark I use for developing a composition that reflects a memory but is more abstract. The story may be mine, but hopefully viewers interpret the image from their own perspective and the painting becoming a talisman for their own memories.

My Mother was also an artist and taught that the creative process, being creative and making things, was valuable and important. She often set up a mini-canvas to keep me occupied as she worked on her own paintings. Much of my childhood was spent living in the same house with multiple generations. As the youngest grandchild, I inherited the leftover pieces such as my grandfather’s hand tools, grandma’s doilies and button box, mom’s paint brushes, and the family board games. I carried these treasures throughout my adult travels for the connection they give to the past and to the people I love. Their shapes, colors, and patterns offer inspiration and beg to be painted.  

I also enjoy painting portraits using the interplay of reflected light and color to show personality and expression. While the settings are deliberately ambiguous to allow the viewer to form his or her own interpretation, each painting contains elements that allude to the subject’s life and situation.