The deeply felt poetic quality of color is the single most compelling aspect of painting for me.  I use chalk pastels for my initial color explorations and compositional studies, creating roadmaps for larger oil paintings.  I have developed a process that uses a combination of acrylic medium, brush and palette knife work to create a soft dusty texture in my paintings that is very tactile.  This process also creates a sense of history with subtle layers of brush marks and textures.  Like the walls in a very old home, they have a sense of presence.

 

            Old houses and barns for me evoke a heart response rooted in a desire for connection to family and community.  The family cattle ranch in Wyoming was a touchstone for me growing up.  I return to these images again and again.  In the juxtaposition of traditional subjects and contemporary rendering I am exploring the tensions between permanence and decay, between temporal and infinite. 

 

            My work has been shown extensively in the mid Atlantic region in juried shows and galleries and is included in corporate and private collections.  You can view my work at the Annie Gould Gallery in Gordonsville, Va and at Liberty Town Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg where I have a studio. I received my BA in art from the University of Maryland.