First Light Painting

My art career didn’t get started until 2009 when I actually had time to do something other than work. My first art trip was with an art group to the south of France, which was life-changing. After returning, I spent every available opportunity improving my art whenever time permitted. My work focused in acrylic and oil mediums, primarily landscapes and contemporary themes. The mornings are my favorite time of day, taking long nature walks, and snapping endless photos of color combinations of plants, animals, and the sky - this is where a lot of my artistic inspiration comes from. To get the rich techniques in my paintings, I use a “broken brush” which is a beat-up brush that probably should be thrown away but instead gives the greatest effects to my work. Other favorite tools are spatulas, boards, squeegees, and palette knives which generate different effects. Lately, I have started using just my fingers or the palm of my hand. My large pieces are abstract, bold and impressionistic. They say a picture captures a thousand words; a painting can do that and more. Some of my favorite artist quotes that guide me when I am stuck: “It doesn’t matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said.” -Jackson Pollack ‎"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."  -Vincent Van Gogh. “There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing.” -Mark Rothko “I am so lucky to be where I am and to be who I am” -Neltje