"I feel that it is not by talent that I have become an artist but by a desire to experience the creative process from the germination of an idea through its design and subsequent artistic expression. I will never forget my first steps into watercolor: I was in a watercolor continuing education class at a university and everyone was quietly painting recognizable objects, while mine resembled a pre-schooler's trees. I asked the person next to me if everyone in this class had artistic talent but me, and she responded by saying they were all repeaters and had taken the class four, five and more times and with that had come experience and practice, practice, practice. It was then I decided that I, too would practice and, with persistence, become my own artist.
"I have taken many workshops in the past few years and one of my favorite artists and instructors, Jeanne Carbonetti, warned us 'don't fall in love with your paintings' and that if we were not willing to risk one of our completed, 'perfect' paintings by changing, altering, or adding to it in the hopes of improving it, then 'don't quit your day job'. Consequently, I experiment with layering and mixing many media and practice, re-do and practice and try not to fall in love.
"I moved to the Southwest in my late teens and could not have selected a more perfect location to begin to understand the beauty of the landscape. My paintings attempt to honor that." [more...]