Persephone MMMM&M Painting

I have loved art since elementary school; I considered majoring in art in college, but my family discouraged me. It took me almost 40 years and a painful second divorce to emerge as a professional artist. I had never been able to give myself permission to be who I authentically am. I came to the awakening of myself as an artist and writer through art therapy. As someone who struggles with mood disorder, art helped me navigate the darks and lights, to weather the internal and external landscapes. Ultimately, it helps me heal. The act of creation becomes a triumph over despair, a tool for healing, and living proof that beauty can save the world. I have had a career as a journalist and teacher. I have taught from kindergarten to university. Encaustic is particularly endearing for me because it connects me to my ancestral past. It assists in uncovering the many fused layers of my identity. As a member of the Hellenic Diaspora raised on three continents and having lived in five cities and countries, the technique captures the many layers of complexity in living. Its complexity is a function of its multi-sensual nature as well--textural, visual, tactile, olfactory. My art is informed by my Hellenic identity and classic forms and symbols. I find myself rediscovering myths in postmodern ways. Using symbols in both a personal and universal way, my work delves into the core conflicts in the universal psyche. As such it is slightly surreal. As I am also a poet and writer, text figures prominently into it. Sometimes I embed entire poems into the pieces. As a feminist, my pieces feature feminine forms, not as passive objects of the eye but powerful dramatis personae. I am inspired by natural landscapes, especially pristine and rugged ones. As a photographer I am drawn to natural landscapes, cupolas, the intersection of man with nature, and documenting the places I roam through the world. My energy spans across genres to include landscape, collage, encaustic painting, and original photography and print, including monoprint. I love to refashion garbage and recycled materials in collage as the act of recycling speaks to my idea of the salvaging power of art—taking what is discarded, un-useful, unwanted, disgusting and revisioning it to make it valuable, beautiful, functional and aesthetically pleasing. I am drawn to dramatic textures.