As of late...

Art has made it possible for me to face my fears, and to break out of my comfort zones. I was primarily inspired by non-representational and abstract art; more specifically color field painting. I could spend hours in front of a piece by Clifford Still, Helen Frankenthaler, or Vasily Kandinsky. I continue to be inspired by exposure to a variety of art styles, techniques, and artists.

I adore trying something new, learning a new way to express an idea. I am passionate about facilitating art education and art exposure to as many people as I can, especially to those who have limited access. My ambition is to be able to assist people in finding their artistic voice, or in finding an artist or artwork that ignites their curiosity and creativity.

Currently I am exploring color, form, and light through colored pencils, exploring light and form through monochromatic painting, and playing with expression through mixed media. I am enjoying the diversity of exploring technique further and the freedom of the mixed media expressions.

Recent Works in Colored Pencil

Monochromatic Painting

Portrait in Pencil 

My favorite adventures in composition...Mixed Media

I use my own photos and arrange them as the background for these creations...

Ravens

Raven #1 

Pictures are not the same experience as seeing a thing in real life. Unfortunately there is a funky light on the left side of this picture that is not true to the painting. One of these days I will be better at taking pictures of my paintings. 

Raven #2

This is from my "put a bird on it" series. This one was donated to Kiwanis for Guns, Boots, and Brands fundraiser...

Apollo's Messenger

Pour Paintings

A new fun adventure in painting...pour painting. I did some with pour paint medium but most are done with mixing the paint with water. I am slowly getting it - kind of - figured out!

This was just a moment in time...the beginnings of the painting...but I think I like it better!

As with life...

...so it is with these latest paintings, that they are a work in progress.  

The last 2 are finished, maybe.  Just some thoughts of painting put to paper.  The pictures don't do the colors justice, as is usual with pictures, and the glare is a bit obnoxious.  All in all these do look better in person, but here we go in spite of it all.

2 New Paintings

In February, I decided to revisit my painting technique from my senior year of college. I've only done 2...but it's a start, or a restart!  I really enjoy the process.

Post-Bac Show

My time spent at Knox College was extended a year for a Post Baccalaureate fellowship that I did in studio art.  I spent my time painting with acrylic on paper.  As silly as it sounds the idea of using canvas stressed me out, money was tight and I felt like I couldn't experiment as much with the fancy pants canvas.  So I used the cheap (and occasionally crappy to paint on) butcher paper.  It left me with a feeling of freedom to experiment more with the medium.  I went down a road of internalization and improvisation.  I would use a light color and just paint lines on the canvas.  Then I would go back in and bring out the images that I saw.  I found a huge focus on me seeing snakes and birds.  The best piece I did was a huge 6 feet by about 30 feet painting to put on a concave curved wall.  That baby was my pride and joy for the show, all else was just part of the journey.  Here is the work...

 

Here is the huge piece...

Here are some details...

Senior Show

My Bachelors degree is in Studio Art from Knox College, and as part of my Senior year we had to do an art show.  I did the show with my friend Janet.  My senior year I explored working in abstraction and with minimalism.  I used artist tape to help me get the nice crisp lines, and to help shape the space on the canvas.  I had such a blast mixing colors and exploring ways to convey the space in the rectangle.

  Here is some of the work..