I have always been a maker, a creator, a modifier, a re-doer. Even as a child I worked with my hands—always busy, always moving.

My art is a lot like visual archeology, an unearthing of facts, symbols, and emotions as I attempt to make sense of life’s anomalies. I love surface design, texture, layers, muted colors—artifacts that suggest the history and the emotions behind events and ideas. My art communicates the joys, fears, and scars we collect as we go through our lives.

Beginnings

I was in my twenties when I took my first art class, an elective that rumor had it would be an easy “A”. I never expected to become so captivated. Though ultimately I completed two writing degrees, I continued taking art classes while pursuing a career and raising a family. Then a retrospective of the late collage artist Romare Bearden ignited my passion once again. It was then that I chose art as a second career, studying on my own and with other wonderful artists locally and nationally.

Process

My first projects combined paper, fabric, and sewing as line, but the love of paint and texture eventually drew me to more solid surfaces. I now work on paper, canvas, and the deep wood panels that provide a solid base for me to construct multi-layered, textured abstracts.

Whether visual or tactile, textures are always my first application, and they engage me throughout the process. Central to my paintings, these textures are multi-layered and fragmented and are created by addition to or subtraction from the surface.

I may press found objects into the surface, encase materials, paint over them, apply markings and collage, or scrape and incise to reveal the layers beneath. One layer may be placed on top of the other, only to have earlier layers exposed or “excavated.” Images emerge; text becomes texture or line; and symbols connect the diverse elements, integrate the work, and define the boundaries. Turning things over, viewing them from various angles and scratching beneath the surface allows me to explore what is not always visible.

Inspiration

Why do I paint what I paint? Sometimes the motivation is simple: wanting to communicate the feelings that surround me in the middle of the woods or while watching water cascading over rocks from 30 feet above me or waves cut trenches into the sand at high tide.

Other times it’s more complicated. I may get ideas from reading, listening to others, or writing in my journal. A painting is my method of working out these complex ideas and their relationship to one another. It becomes a mystery or a puzzle to be solved. Sometimes there is resolution. Other times the search continues, and I paint the same ideas over and over. But ultimately it is all connected, all a part of the great energy within us and surrounding us.

Teaching

I am sometimes asked to teach workshops about my process. While these workshops are “technique based,” I attempt to incorporate some one-on-one coaching as well, since the artists may or may not continue to use these particular techniques. Often, we go to workshops to “mix things up” because we feel stuck. This doesn’t mean changing completely, but rather encouraging the artist to review and concentrate on their process rather than the end product.

My work has been shown in galleries, corporate institutions, and national publications. I am a juried member of the National Association of Women Artists. I live and work in Charlotte, North Carolina.