Biographical Information:
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. I received my B.A. from UCLA in Art History in 1968 after transferring from the University of Redlands. I also took studio art classes at California State University at Los Angeles and Otis/Parsons School of Design.
I’ve lived in Southern California all of my adult life. I live in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles where my husband John and I raised our two sons.
I’ve been a textile artist, a painter and a collage artist since the 1970s. For twenty years I worked with art consultants who sold my work to both commercial and residential clients.
I now work independently.
Some of my other interests include gardening, ballet and sewing.
Artist Statement:
My paintings and collages are inspired by the natural world, its cycles, shapes, colors, textures and its occupants. The end results are abstract for the most part but the organic connections are clear. I spent my childhood on Oahu, much of it outdoors, close to the ocean and green valleys with vibrantly colored foliage. I’ve spent most of my adult life in California with its different palette of desert plants, mountains and the ocean as well but seen in a different kind of light. I continue to draw ideas from both places and their respective cultures.
My other interests include dance, gardening and other arts and crafts all of which add to my sources of inspiration.
My usual way of working is to start with a vague idea which ideally evolves into a clear concept while I experiment with shapes or colors, or moving collage material around. I say to myself often “What if I do this?” There’s both chance and choice involved in the process.
These past few years I’ve been repurposing older paintings and other stored materials in my studio as much as possible in the interest of sustainability. My latest work is a series of collages in which each one is constructed using two older paintings on paper, some cut up, some kept whole as a background for the cut pieces.
