Blood Orange #1 and #2 Collage

As a painter, I adore color and shape. I especially like to experiment with the relativity of color; how colors influence each other by proximity. I expose relationships in color by working in layers. Many under layers are not immediately visible in a given piece. These initial colors and shapes, however, ground the finished product by influencing colors yet to be applied and by showing up in glimmers and slices. I like to include a surprise color which at first glance may seem incongruous but has a way of solidifying the composition. My finished pieces are impressionistic landscapes and abstractions. All of my subject matter is derived from my observation of nature, including my flower gardens. I am inspired by the sense of disorder, yet perfect organization, I feel when in nature. My mediums are acrylic on canvas, acrylic and paper collage on canvas and encaustic. I work intuitively, meaning I make decisions as I go without a lot of planning. If I do want a reference, I use my own photographs. I pay attention to and record spatial and color relationships between objects, such as where things touch, overlap, or separate. With the technology relating to iPhones, I play with filters and applications which create unique color combinations and compositional distortions. I use these edited images as sketchbook and thumbnails for compositions. Growing up near New York City in the 1960s and 70s, I was moved by the strong, bold, gestural compositions and the seemly spontaneity in the work of the abstract expressionists. I loved Alexander Calder’s mobiles and his painted airplanes. I became fascinated by the simplified compositions and color juxtapositions of the post impressionists, and the collages of Romare Bearden. Art was everywhere; in advertising, billboards, newspapers and publications such as “Look” and “Life” magazines which consistently featured articles about contemporary art. My class field trips were to the Metropolitan Museum of Art the Museum of Modern Art. The bold colors, rhythms and subject matter I attempt to express in my artwork are due to these early influences. In my 30’s I began taking night and Saturday community college basic art classes with young children at home. My schooling includes a BA in English Literature from the University of Delaware and a second degree in Art/Studio Art from Cleveland State University which I completed at the age of 44.