Artist’s Statement

I graduated with a degree in art from the University of Nevada Reno. I have always enjoyed traveling and my frequent travels to Europe have provided me with the opportunity to visit some of the best museums in the world. When I have an emotional reaction to a painting, I know it is a successful work of art. I hope that what I put on the canvas will invoke strong emotion. Color, movement and texture are the elements that most impress me when viewing a painting so that is where I concentrate my energy. My children have characterized my work as “using all the crayons in the box”.

I am most at ease when painting on the floor. I crawl around the canvas, working from all sides so that I connect with it from all angles. I like to believe this causes me to become one with the painting. I work primarily with acrylics, though also enjoy collage and other creative endeavors. I love to experiment with different tools and methods of laying down the paint. In order to give my paintings a historic reference, I often frame them with vintage frames. I usually sign my paintings on the back so that if the owner prefers to hang the painting a different way from what I thought, they can do so. Art is subjective and should be enjoyed however its owner decides.

As far as influences, I believe I’m most influenced by colorful abstract art. In that vein, Jackson Pollack comes to mind. Other artists that have inspired me are Marc Chagall, Helen Frankenthaler, Gustave Klimt, Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso.