STATEMENT

I consider myself very fortunate that I am able to work full-time doing something I love. Being an artist is very challenging, especially if you start off as I did, receiving a lot of rejection letters in the beginning. I remember using the phrase “I haven’t sold anything yet, but”…eventually sales started to occur, and my work was accepted into the LA Art Association and LACMAs’ Art Rental and Sales Gallery, which gave a nice boost to my art career. My first show was in a photographer’s loft in Hollywood. At 9 PM the lights were turned off for a disco dance party, and I had to show prospective buyers my art with the help of a BIC lighter. Thankfully I am now able to show my work in higher-end contemporary art galleries.

“Maybe because I am a Gemini, but I love the idea of juxtaposition and using opposite concepts in one creation.”

My big move to LA was definitely one of the most important decisions I ever made. I chose it not only because I had two friends who had just moved here, but after a short visit, I just felt at home. I think it was a combination of elements -  the light, the people, the gorgeous landscape, the burgeoning art scene, the generally great climate, and of course, accessibility to anything and everything! It was definitely a huge change from Indiana.  

People often comment on the unusual subject matter I paint and the way I treat those subjects. I enjoy painting clouds, and somehow trying to contain them through man-made devices. My clouds have been caged, tied down with rope, and enclosed with chicken wire. That idea led me to the concept of combining the ethereal quality of clouds juxtaposed with the clarity of the sharp edge of post-it notes.  I am currently working on a series like that, and I think it’s a very strong and unique idea. Maybe because I am a Gemini, but I love the idea of juxtaposition and using opposite concepts in one creation.  The glass block paintings allowed me to explore abstraction within the confinement of tight realism, the same idea I utilized when painting the raindrop- on-window-panes collection. My musical tastes are also widely divergent. I listen to alternative and eclectic music in the morning and tend to lean classical in the afternoon and evening.

I’m not sure what my next series will be, but I hope you will stick around to find out.  Please follow me on social media and keep an eye on my Exhibit page on this website for news about upcoming shows.