Paper As Paint
Stepping into my studio I feel a sense of joy; a place where I can completely be myself, creating however I am called in the moment. Seldom in life have I felt so free from others’ expectations. It is also a place of “no mistakes” because the medium of collage allows me to add, subtract, or even cover the entire canvas with gesso and begin again. Expressing my creative side, through art, has come later in life. A few nudges along the way include a chance introduction from a dear friend to the person who became my initial teacher and colleague. Another friend was willing to transform my garage into a studio. Finally, the company of my brother and the encouragement of others who have traveled their own creative paths helped to prime my creative work. Thus, this is not my journey alone.
Process inspired by nature
Living in a place of great beauty, inspires many. I am no exception. As part of this natural world, I feel I owe a debt of gratitude that includes giving a second or third life to everyday objects—be they clothing, furniture, construction materials, or leftovers from the refrigerator. I tend to take whatever is at hand and use it—smashed mirrors, dish-ware, fabric, all kinds of paper (New York Times has wonderful colors), and photographs. Prowling secondhand stores I look for canvasses, frames, and rejected paint…a small effort in extending the life of our relationship to our planet.
When I start a piece, I often don’t know where it will end. Sometimes it may take a lot of revisiting…letting it sit, started, but not yet complete…against the wall, where I can see it. As I walk past the piece, something in it catches my eye or my intuition, and says, “I need this, here”. It is like a conversation between the composition and me. It is a conversation that exists in a very subliminal way…speaking outside of words. As the daughter of a horticulturist, I have been exposed to, and am drawn to the natural world. My father would take me on adventures, showing me how to dive visually into flowers, shrubs, trees, imagining plants from an ant’s viewpoint or that of a butterfly. There is an exciting energy in color and composition that can touch us, opening to the blooming that resides within. Color feeds my eyes and my spirit, as food does for the body. I hope you enjoy these vivid expressions as much as I have enjoyed making them.