The best thing I ever did for myself was to attend art school at Cornish Institute of Allied Arts in Seattle. There, I met and worked with people who had similar interests and points of view, many of whom are still my friends.  Plus, I got the instruction and support I needed to take myself seriously as an artist.  I have been painting for over thirty years now and have come into my own as an artist.  It is who I am and what I do.

I live on an island. My studio is located at the end of a dirt road. It is a large, light filled space with high ceilings and tall windows - very quiet. There, I build my own formats ranging in size from two to five feet.  I usually work on wood, rather than paper or canvas, so I can manipulate the surface.

I use paper-collage, gels and layers of paint to create a rich, uneven surface that catches the light. My muted colors are influenced by living my life in the Pacific Northwest and the ancient, Minoan frescos from the Greek island of Crete – earthy red, sea green, yellow ochre, liquid blues and deep black. Each piece has many layers of acrylic paint rubbed back to show what went before. I want to indicate that time has passed.

My work is more felt than known. I don’t usually draw or consciously prepare for a painting. More and more the work is about space and time and energy rather than a recognizable object. There is often a lot of peripheral energy with open, breathing space in the center and marks that are awkwardly human. To stay open to chance I often work on two or three pieces at a time and, when I am paying attention, they take off from each other and, tell me what to do.