"Ship in the Harbor" oil painting 557 Painting

I attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, afterwards the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfiled Hills, Michigan. I have always been fascinated by the power of color to create a visual play by association of pattern, harmony and rhythm. The tools I use are a combination of techniques including painting, printmaking and drawing. I have had the good fortune to travel and live in different cultures. At a certain time I wished to leave the solitude of working in my studio. I decided to explore painting with oils outdoors. Being in nature with all of my senses awakened, I burst open using colors that vibrate with my happiness. The rich colors of the oils spurred me to work spontaneously, without hesitation. I lived in France at that time and created a series of landscapes based upon the views that I found in the outskirts of Paris, France. The powerful river Marne, trees, forests or a quiet pond gave me inspiration. Re-reading my paintings, absent of human form, made me once again question my solitude. I decided to draw after the human model. The beauty of a three dimensional subject, a human with all their expression made me anxious to work with this new freedom. I continue to alternate between figurative and abstract in my work with drawing, oils and printmaking. There are many things that I love; color, nature, being a mother and having the capacity to marvel at the beauty all around us. Sharing what I make gives me immense pleasure. Enjoy it or give it as a gift,