My art is a response to my love of color, pattern and the figure, particularly portraiture. Watercolor is my medium of choice. It is unforgiving but has a certain honesty to it. You cannot cover up a mistake, you must adapt, consider other possibilities and continue the painting. I embrace this hardship when mistakes are made as the final outcome of a painting always has some surprise at the end- a plan rediscovered.

 

            Color and pattern abound in my work. As a colorist, I consider bright vibrant colors as I execute paintings. I am inspired by nature – the intricate patterns: veins on a leaf, petals of flowers, bark of a tree, ripples in water. I prefer to use a small brush when I paint, even on my large works. This provides a certain intimacy with my subject matter and literally draws me into my paintings as I work. The rhythmic strokes of my small brush and blending of the paint provide me with closeness to my subject so I may better relate to my work.

 

            Artists that have impacted my work are those who are/were drawn to color and pattern: Gustauv Klimt, Sandro Botticelli, Dante Rossetti and contemporary artists such as Hope Gangloff, Kehinde Wiley and Stasia Burrington.