artist's statement
 

WHY DO I PAINT?

Short Version:
Art  makes me enthusiastic about life!
When I paint, I feel neither young or old. Just alive, very alive.

Long Version:
Painting is a meditative process that allows me to look deeply  and to connect with Spirit and nature.  It's my happy place where I can explore the best of the world and of myself.  

I like the mystery.  Painting is like putting together a  10,00 piece puzzle that I make up as I go along.  It's exciting that I don’t know for sure what the painting will look like until its finished.

I like the challenge of interpreting the magnificence of nature onto a flat surface. The painting will never be as grand as nature itself, but it is a reflection of nature filtered through my own personal lens. It’s a mutual collaboration. 

Why do I paint the USA?
I am an American discovering America, quipped artist Marsden Hartley, and that’s exactly how I feel.   
    My first oil painting class was taught by an artist who loved France and Italy.  All of her reference photographs were from her travels there. Her paintings were gorgeous, and she was an outstanding teacher, but I didn’t sign up for more classes because I didn’t want to paint scenes from those countries anymore. I wanted to paint the diversity of landscapes here in the United States. 
    Right after high school I lived in Germany for 3 years and travelled extensively all over Europe. I was enamored with the European sensibility and way of life. I was ashamed of the USA and thought that it was a barren wasteland of malls and fast food chains.  
     My husband Duane opened a whole new world to me right here in my Motherland. In our motorhome, we’ve criss-crossed the USA from Maine to San Diego, and from Alaska to Key West. It has opened my eyes to the true beauty of the United States. It’s where I grew up and it’s what I want to paint.