I love to paint in oils and pastels, and to share the poetry of color and light with others. I work to create art that is accessible, powerful, and hopeful. Using bold brushwork, I hope my use of vivid color and the drama of value contrast will capture the viewer, convey an emotion, or make the viewer pause and reflect. My subjects are varied but united by an energetic style that tells a story but maintains the presence and feel of the medium. There is nothing more inspiring to me than the sun on green hills after a rain, or late afternoon light streaming through a window. But more mundane subjects also are sources of intrigue – shoes, pastries, plants – when treated lovingly. I am always growing as an artist, learning to simplify what I see, looking for pattern, color and subjects that elevate the routine and commonplace into art. After studying art and art history in college, I found creative outlet, in photography, crafts, and knitting. I returned to painting with a renewed passion in 2007. I paint in my home studio, and study at Lafayette Studio and Civic Arts in Walnut Creek. I live in the endlessly inspiring San Francisco Bay Area, with my husband, daughter and two dogs, Rocket and Sparky. Education: B.A. Art / Concentration in Art History; California State University, Stanislaus; UC Berkeley; Exhibits: Benicia Paint Out, Benicia Plein Air Gallery, August 2016 Sight/Unseen Visual Arts Show, The Gallery at Artist's Den Concord, May 2016 Concord Arts Alive Emerge!, The Art Cottage, Concord, March 2015 Sculpture in the Garden, Ruth Bancroft Garden, June 2013 Walnut Creek Artists Market, 2013 CSU Stanislaus Alumni Exhibition, JayJay Gallery, Sacramento 2012 Valona Paint-Out, Crockett 2011 Plein Air Competition, Walnut Creek Civic Arts, Boundary Oak Country Club 2011 Walnut Creek City Hall 2011 |