Orbs Passing By Painting

My interest in art began with art projects, such as drawing, as a favorite way to pass the time growing up in Michigan. In high school, my interest expanded when I discovered I loved working with clay. After receiving an AA degree from Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan, I moved to Monterey, California, in the early 80s and attended Monterey Peninsula College to study art. There, I became passionate about figure drawing and also submerged myself in ceramics. After two years there, I moved to Mount Shasta, California, and attended College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California. My focus there was printmaking and photography. After that, I pursued a bachelor's in art at Chico State University in Chico, California. There, I spent most of my time in the sculpture department, learning sculpture techniques and exploring the figure in a variety of sculpture media. Eventually, sculpture became my focus, and I continued sculpting the human form at Humboldt State University. There, I received my Master's in 1989. My graduate show consisted of life-sized, expressionistic, figurative sculptures made of Ferro-cement. After I graduated, the female figure prevailed, and I worked professionally as a sculptor in ferro-cement, wood, and clay, creating figurative indoor/outdoor sculptures for a total of 15 years. Then, in 2008, I decided to return to my first love, drawing, and created a substantial body of work in pastel. Three years later, after being encouraged by a gallery owner who represented me at the time, I began investing my creative time in learning oil painting. At that time, oils became my medium of choice. Also, as my medium changed, so did my subject matter, and today I focus on translating my love for nature into my landscape paintings. That is, as the figure once inspired me for many years, now my love for nature fuels my creative spirit. Now, after several transitions and years of study in most mediums, I have developed a unique style and vision in oils on linen or canvas and, more recently, acrylics on canvas. Regardless of the materials or means of expression, my soul has always been and continues to be ignited by the creative process. So, I feel a sense of continuity because my experience in one medium influences my experience in another. And today, as always, my creative process continues to be an intuitive problem-solving endeavor that requires being open to the ever-evolving experience.