Artist’s Statement

In September of 2009, I took a one week workshop in encaustic painting.  Up until this time my work was entirely watercolor.   Encaustic has expanded artistic horizons.  It has made some of my work smaller and has limited my palette.  Figurative and landscape are still my primary subject matter.  I have begun to incorporate animals, machines and multiples into my compositions. I don’t sketch per se so I dive right in with color-layering and layering and collage.  I begin a piece by randomly applying paint to the surface.

Painting is a solo act involving just me and my materials.  My subject matter changes with my mood and what is happening around me.  My current studio is on the second floor and the window provides me with a diorama of life.  There is daylight and I can see the comings and goings of my neighborhood. When I work I am all consumed and inspired by life:  theater, movies, and literature, travel and world events.  There have been lulls in my creativity when the sparks just don’t fly.  The inspiration for my work is buried in my sub-conscience and the process does not lend itself easily to words.