Shizuka 18 Print

I was born in Ohio but grew up in the Philadelphia area, attended The Tyler School of Art where I received a BFA in painting. For many years I worked in the graphic arts and printing industry. In 1989 I moved to San Francisco and shortly after, decided to return to painting and I have been doing so for the past 25 years. My paintings create a sense of energy and spirit that emanates from the layering of color, texture, the composition and the mark-making. I am most interested in using juxtapositions of color and exploring how layers affect layers. Many of my paintings have a tactile three-dimensional presence due to the build up of textured surfaces and mixed media on the canvas. The paintings are meant to be meditative, either peripherally or with focused attention. My works continue to expand upon visual abstraction as an evolving language / non-language in which the painter and the audience have a shared experience within the landscape of the art. I tend to work in series utilizing a variety of mediums on a variety of surfaces. I follow my instincts and intuition and try to push the boundaries and my personal vision.