ABOUT THE ARTIST

IN HER OWN WORDS

“I grew up surrounded by art, and my mother, who was a painter, encouraged me to create. By the time I was 11 years old, I was creating textile art and clothing. I was making quilts and took a drawing class in 2014 to help my design process and ended up fascinated with colored pencils. For a handful of years, I created colored pencil paintings, and was exploring watercolors, oils and pastels. I fell in love with pastels! The texture and feel of a pastel stick in my hand has added a sensual aspect to my painting. I can feel the marks I am making - light strokes are feathery, hard strokes are bold - there is an emotional conversation that happens with pastels that is engaging and addictive.

Pastels fascinate me because they are versatile, challenging, and gratifying for developing texture in my paintings.  I create my own painting surfaces using pumice, primers or gesso, and I use a variety of alcohol and water techniques to create underpaintings. A full range of pastels is always nearby when I am developing a painting - pans, soft, hard, and pencils. Working with different types of pastels helps me find new ways to create visual effects, and that is enticing.  

When I look at the world around me, I think, "How can I create that with my pastels?"  I am drawn to color, contrast, and the uncommon, and gravitate towards animals, landscapes and still life as my subjects. The things I paint matter to me. I focus on the soul of my animals and try to capture their personality. My still life paintings tend towards vintage pieces that have been discarded or forgotten. In landscapes I am always looking for the light. I am drawn to what I paint.”