| ARTIST STATEMENT | My work is inspired by the natural landscape, especially the visual qualities of rock, soil, and vegetation in its many variations. The work does not include reproductions of the landscape or a specific place but rather represents the essence of the landscape. Being outdoors and active in the natural world brings me great joy. I've traveled in five foreign countries but my favorite landscapes are found in the west where I photographed deserts, mountains, and plains in all kinds of weather from the Yukon Territory in the north to the Baja Peninsula in the south. I depend on the photographs or visuals actually seen in addition to an internal response that occurs from seasonal weather or time of day. All these elements create a beauty of contrast, textured imperfections, and emotions that I toss through my imagination when spontaneously painting imagery in an abstract manner. To visually connect the land with my artist canvas, it is buried an inch or two into the ground by covering it with soil and rocks. After about three or four months, the canvas is excavated and those initial soil and rock stains influence my first brush strokes with paint. Utilizing my photographs, memories, and each intuitive mark, a painting evolves. Acrylic paints are partnered with other mark making tools to complete a work. Inks, pencil, crayons, burning, and thread are possibilities. Silk and muslin cloth as well as unique papers and copy machine images are occasionally used for collage. There seems to be no end to experimenting in order to achieve a certain effect. My 90 year old art-making mentor lives in Boulder, Colorado. With a PhD in art education, her teaching years were extensive. Even today she happily shares her knowledge and stories with past students and numerous friends. On my studio wall is a note with one of her favorite sayings: "Art is from the head, heart, and hand." That is the guideline for my art: let it flow out of my heart. |