ARTIST STATEMENT

Life is challenging, as my personal life experiences and work as a psychotherapist attest.  I’m inspired by the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and the drive to overcome obstacles and make change.  I’m fascinated by the unconscious, and it’s the language of abstraction that allows me to best explore and express my ideas and emotions. When I step into my studio, I step into a world of possibility — exploration and discovery, healing and transformation.

I work intuitively using acrylic paint, oil sticks, graphite, charcoal, and a variety of collage materials that engage me. My process involves creating multiple layers of paint and collage, extensive mark-making, and scratching into and eroding the surface with a variety of tools.  In the layering process, many sections of a painting are covered over, yet they still exist.  I can’t erase what has happened to me or what has happened in the world, but I can reframe the experience to something that speaks meaningfully now and brings a moment of peace, hope, possibility and even joy.

My paintings invite the viewer to share and experience my creative journey — a quest to make peace with the chaos and complexity of being human — and feel a sense of resolution, even if the resolution is momentary.