ARTIST STATEMENT & BIOGRAPHY

My art tells a story through layers.  Whether working in representational collage or the abstract, I create multiple layers in my paintings which invite the viewer to question what is revealed vs. what is concealed.  

The process employs creation and then partial destruction of each work which leads to a rebuilding effort.  I intentionally distress the surface and peel away portions of early layers to reveal a bit of text, a hidden image or perhaps a peek at color. The layers of paint and these partially obscured elements allow the viewer to script their own meaning for each piece.   

The collage works present “snippet” views of life experiences.  I gather materials from a variety of sources, favoring found objects, antique ephemera, my own drawings and photography as well as other unusual imagery.  The collected elements may seem quite disparate at first, but their connection is revealed as the collage progresses.

Inspiration for my abstract compositions is all around me so I often carry a digital camera to record various architectural or natural settings that are appealing.   These images form a rough basis for my work although I find that each piece tends to evolve in the most unexpected and surprising way.

I find that art is a metaphor for life in that the most unlikely elements somehow work together to create the whole.  I am striving to evoke a visceral reaction from the viewer, tugging at submerged memories of their own life experience and then leaving each person to fill in the blanks on an individual level.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, I lived in San Francisco for five years and found the cultural diversity and natural wonder of the Bay area to be very stimulating to my artistic process.  I returned to the Midwest in 2003 and am enjoying the experience of viewing familiar places through what I perceive to be “new eyes.” 

Although I have had many artistic hobbies since my childhood, painting and collage have been my focus since 2000 after I left an 18-year career in the insurance industry to pursue my art fulltime. 

I have shown my work in numerous juried competitions, group shows and Open Studio events within California and the Midwest.  I teach workshops in collage and paste paper painting and also have a special interest in art as therapy, teaching collaborative workshops with therapists.  Private individuals and corporations throughout the United States collect my work