Artist Statement:
I work mainly in water media. Much of my work seems to be intuitive. I don’t always start out with a specific subject in mind. I start with a mood or state of being putting in strong colors and repeated shapes to the paper. Then I sit back and let it tell me what it should be. I build on each layer and strive for linear connectivity and depth. Using world textiles and folk art motifs as inspiration, my work can be highly graphic. These details are purposeful, like the kimono flowers in Robo Kimono or the Egyptian symbols in Anubis - my heart is light. I often include surprises and hidden subjects to create or subvert the context. Many details are random which to me represent the unexpected in life. It’s always interesting to me how my work is interpreted – where do the lines take the viewer, and what emotions come up as the eye wanders through? Some of my work is a reflection of cultural, social or political events that capture my attention. Recent news concerning corruption in government and business reminded me of the Egyptian deity Anubis whose job as lord of the underworld was to weigh the hearts of the recently deceased against the weight of a feather. If souls had led virtuous lives, their hearts would be as light as feathers and Anubis would allow them to enter the after life. The heavy hearts of those who had led lives of evil, greed and ill intent would be denied entrance. How would leaders in our current world stack up under this belief system? In my watercolor, Anubis dances across the page holding an Egyptian-styled heart in one hand and a feather in the other. How many of us would have hearts as light as a feather and join him in his golden world? In Yodel-ay-hee-hoo I used a drawing of my own hand as a motif to lead the viewer through an Alpine-esque landscape of peaks and roads amid folk art patterns. Many of my pieces are whimsical and even child-like. When I was 6 years old, a family friend gave me an art book titled Going for a walk with a line – a step into the world of modern art. It must have been important to me because I still have this book and I’m still going for walks with lines.
