Cartwheels #5 Painting

As an artist, I am always asked what inspires me. I find it is usually the small and ordinary things I happen upon in my daily life. These simple insights change as quickly as my children grow out of their jeans, but I have found a common thread through them all. I love vibrant colors. I love the feel of a new box of Crayolas. My favorite is the 96-pack with built in sharpener. I remember the first day of each new school year and the ultimate day when Magenta was gone. I love every inch of a child. Their faces. Their eyes. Their hands. I love their simple gestures and unabashed moods. I love freckles, curly hair and crazy teeth. I love that moment of pure innocence. It is hard to find in the hectic society we all live in, but when I come upon it, it takes over the moment and simplifies my life, if only for that moment. I love natural light. I used to hate when my mom yelled "it's time to come inside". Everything is more beautiful when the sun is out. I create mixed-media pieces by embedding photographs in either acrylic paint or encaustic wax. My pieces are bright and colorful, and evoke a sense of whimsy. Lately, I have created pieces without embedded photography, as a way of releasing myself from my past identification. I layer paint, while scraping and scratching at the surface to see what the "next life" of these pieces will be.