Artist's Statement

Painting is for me a journey of skill, insight and a sharing of myself. To do art is to take a risk, hoping to find a solution and the creation of something unique and meaningful.

The media I have chosen to work with are mixed water media, watercolor, acrylic, ink or a combination. In addition, I often incorporate collage/found objects and mediums to create texture and interest. I like to do layered painting with designs and images of previous layers coming through in some way or form.

My technique or process is to work on a number of paintings at the same time, learning as I go, getting ideas from one painting and transferring those ideas to another. If I am stuck as to how to proceed with a painting I leave it and go on to another. If all else fails I sit down, get out some articles, art books, a sketchpad, change the music or just sit and quietly think. I have found that this discipline of doing something, however large or small, works. I try to attend to the business of doing art daily and I accept that creativity can show up in a variety of ways and forms or may on occasion need a respite.

When I am successful and feel a sense of things working together it is a joy beyond belief. I am then in the space of creating something new, different and perhaps never attempted before. I am taking risks; feeling free and ideas are boundless.

I strive for art that has meaning to me. I paint first for myself. I look for what I like and without concern for whether others will like it. If that happens it is truly wonderful but that is not a criterion for my personal sense of accomplishment.