Sharing Perspective
With paint, humor, and a deep curiosity about human imperfection, I investigate the ways people with different cultural lenses navigate communication with each other and relate to the natural world. Having worked in government service positions for numerous years, I have interacted with people of various ages and social backgrounds, providing me with a front-row seat to a wide range of communication challenges. My creative process is informed by these experiences.
I employ expressive black lines, lush colors, and transparency to conjure spaces, characters, and compositions in a distinctive style that evolved after working for many years in the field of architectural stained glass. I prefer to paint canvases of moderate size, most of which are of big screen TV scale. Imagine mash-up paintings by an Abstract Expressionist painter like Joan Miró, a Looney Toon cartoon animator, and a medieval scribe who penned illuminated manuscripts.
I build upon several ongoing painting series, each addressing common threads that connect our human experiences. In my “Tomorrowland” series, I focus on the ways we relate to a rapidly changing Earth. I explore questions such as: What evolving life forms might we expect to see? Will plants learn to fly or swim, and in what ways will our living spaces change? I lace my colorful, lighthearted imagery with purposeful intent meant to appeal to international audiences of any generation. While I may hint at the past, my imagination is primarily focused on the future as I paint.
Stylized scenes offer my characters an otherworldly environment to inhabit. Humor and a somewhat cartoonish style are purposeful devices I use to make prickly subjects more approachable, and viewers more receptive to the thought-provoking aspects of my artwork. Rather than presenting a single, personal viewpoint, I prefer to offer broad perspectives that invite contemplation.