I come back from a beach walk, empty my collection bag on the table and sand spills onto my studio floor. Oyster shells, bits of seaweed, driftwood, remnants of Dungeness crab, sea glass and agates. I closely study the intricate textures, timeworn patinas, and unique patterns.
During these daily walks I’m captivated by the shifting moods of the sea. The air, the light, the sounds—they’re never the same twice. I find myself drawn in by the sea’s essence, absorbing the tranquility it offers, whether the day is calm or wild. My new painting series “Marine Meditations” is a visual journal of my deepening love for the Salish Sea. This work reflects my connection with the coastal environment with an emphasis on texture and quiet simplicity.
I work with acrylic paint, lusterstone plaster and I incorporate found natural materials – shells, sand, beach stones and driftwood. Lusterstone plaster beautifully mimics the patina and texture of shells. I love the process of working with thick, opaque pigments that I build up, scratch into, sand and add again. The progression of layers obscure or reveal earlier passages. Rich surfaces develop into low relief tactile paintings.
Three years ago, I moved to Bainbridge Island with my husband Bill and our dog Molly. Our sweet little home overlooks the Puget Sound, the Seattle area, and the Cascade mountains beyond.
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Escape and ecstasy. In my Dance Series paintings, I revel in dreamscapes of pulsing, swirling prismatic colors and hypnotic grooves. I explore rhythmic patterns as vehicles to communicate movement, sensation, energy, and joy.
I’ve been painting and dancing most of my life. These two practices are the creative life forces that feed my soul. I am a perennial dance student. I love the communal energy, inclusivity, and collective joy that I feel in dance studios and in the nightclub dance scene. My latest painting series is inspired by the movement, music, lights, fashion, and euphoria I experience in dance culture.
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re:surface paintings are intuitive inventions that indulge in a topography of pattern and texture. Organic forms and geometric arrangements compete or cooperate with each other. Thick, opaque pigments and collage add density into which I scratch into and sand off. A progression of layers obscure or reveal earlier imagery. Rich surfaces develop into low relief tactile paintings.
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The transience of time and the fragility of being human are underlying themes in this work. Feminine figures are lost and found within richly textured layers of atmospheric color addressing issues of beauty and impermanence. Thick impasto and gestural brushstrokes are created and destroyed by scratching and scraping to emphasize ambiguity.
My paintings have evolved through my interest in surfaces that have a weathered, aged patina; corrosive walls and doors marked by rust, colorful peeling paint, chipped plaster and graffiti.