Angels Painting

When people look at my art they always say one thing. Calming. My art is calming to the senses and this is what I aim to achieve. In this anxiety ridden world we all need something to help us relax and my art helps with that on a high level. I will go as far as saying that viewing my art is one of a healing experience. My art washes over you with its cool colors like a serene ocean. My art has also been described as having an ethereal quality. I'm really drawn to trees and flowers. I also am inspired by the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. For me she represents the Goddess and who I like to describe as the "feminine mystique" or divine feminine. As a child I moved around frequently. My father was in the Navy and so we spent a lot of time near the ocean. This upbringing later would influence my art. I experienced a chaotic childhood with moving around frequently so the beach was a natural escape for me and soothed the senses not to mention inspire me creatively.There is much reference to water in my work and it has developed over time as a reflection of healing and emotion. It wasn't till my mid twenties that I picked up art as a hobby and when some particular pastel pieces were shown at an art exhibit a professor told me to "keep going". As a result I began taking my art more seriously. I started experimenting with pastels, and then water colors, and finally moved on to canvases using acrylic paint. I use a type of paint that is specifically called fluid acrylic. It is a great medium that allows me to integrate water and gives my paintings the washed, dripping effect. Sometimes I use a more heavy bodied acrylic if I want to give some parts of my paintings a thicker texture. My great grandmother was a painter. She did it as more of a hobby but nevertheless one of her paintings, which was a surreal piece in turquoise including ships, greatly influenced me and is revealed in my own work with the similar use of turquoise colors. I'm drawn specifically to the 19th Century era of Impressionism. Claude Monet and his blending of blue and lavender hues have a great effect on me. His art is similar to mine in that his work is very calming, and in some cases with the Lily Pad pieces, a light and airy feel. Other artists who influence me are Pat Steir. She's an abstract painter and I admire her subtle use of color and use of space, which is very open and calming.