The Bayou Painting

As a young girl growing up in Falls Church, Virginia, my grandmother sent me a framed reproduction of a painting by Franz Marc. Marc was one of the key figures in the German Expressionist movement and his vibrant paintings sing with strong, luminous colors. The painting of brilliant blue horses hung in my bedroom for years, and I dreamed of colors. I am still attracted to rich saturated color. My paintings whether still life’s or landscapes ring with glowing reds, greens and yes, blues. They proclaim a lifelong addiction to color. I am fascinated with the edges where colors transition and turn the corner subtly changing and vibrating. I paint as if the canvas is a battlefield, working hard and painting with fervor. I paint still lives, portraits, landscapes and water scenes, both real and imagined, and Providence street scenes. I usually apply paint heavily with a sculptural quality. The color is all encompassing – rich, contrasting colors butting up against each other and still managing to achieve a luscious harmony. My entire house is effectively a studio. Drawings and paintings fill every conceivable space from the basement to the dining room to the bedrooms. I like to look at the paintings while they are in progress. I hang them on the walls so I can see them at different times of day in different kinds of light. This helps to work out any problems. Two days a week I work as a physician assistant at the ADHD Center of New England in Providence. The rest of the week I paint and draw. I am a member of the “Paint Out” group of artists and the Pawtucket Artist’s Collaborative. One group regularly paints together outdoors in different locations and the other group has life drawing and rotating shows.