Expressive, magical-realist drawings, painting and prints
I grew up in the northwest corner of Indiana, a heavily industrial area between Chicago, Illinois and Gary, Indiana. I was a dreamy, serious kid with not much access to the worlds of art and poetry. On my kindergarten report card, an astute teacher noted, "this little girl understands the world through her hands." I drew a lot through my youth, took as many art classes as I could, then received a B.A. in Fine Art from Indiana University.
In 1982 while applying to MFA programs, I saw Judy Chicago’s participatory project “The Dinner Party” at the Chicago Art Institute. I wrote to Ms. Chicago to express my interest in working with her. Six months later I found myself driving across the country to Benicia, CA to begin work as graphics production assistant on her next body of work, The Birth Project.
Since 1983, I’ve had an eclectic professional life as an artist, educator, and graphic designer. I have shown work in numerous regional exhibitions, and was represented by Monika Gabriel Fine Art in Sonoma, CA. My work is in the collections of Kaiser Health Plan and Hospitals, Providence St. John’s Health, and Vallejo Zen Center.
In 2012, my family and I relocated to the Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest where I now dedicate myself full time to studio practice.
I have always been deeply curious about what it is to be human. I spent many years in search of meaning and explored many traditions before finding my home in two practices - art making and Zen.
Someone once asked me why I chose Zen and I said, “It was quiet and no one was in a hurry”, a rare experience in our 24/7 media-driven culture.
In the solitude of the studio or “en plain air”, there is a ritual to mixing paint, and applying marks. The interaction between me, the canvas, and my imagination reflect a vivid experience which hopefully translates to the work. The rest is up to the viewer.
