Artist Statement


At an early age I was drawn to working with vivid colors and painting flowers and textile designs.  I could easily spend hours at my desk creating patterns in a myriad of color combinations with my can of magic markers or box of paints. Having come from a family of classical musicians I was fortunate to be exposed to a rich spectrum of sounds. By eight years old I was already serious about studying the flute. Having earned a degree in Flute Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, I fully intended to pursue a career as a classical musician.  What I was not aware of during all of those years of serious devotion to my instrument, was the rich musical foundation that would become a springboard for my life and work in design. I understand now, that all of the years I dedicated to music, found their way into the rhythms and tonalities of my work.

When I paint gardens, I feel inspired to create a harmonious and joyful community. I love in partcular the paintings of Emil Nolde, whose flowers and gardens burst with sensuality and life. That is how I feel when I paint flowers. I see them as exuberant souls. I am not interested in capturing an exact likeness of a particular type of flower, just its essence. Rich color and energy are what inspire me most, and the freedom to compose a community from the heart, is what keeps the process fresh and new.

When painting abstract works, in particular my "Urban Essays"- I became aware that my life in New York City for more than two decades had worked its way into the architecture of these paintings. All the years walking in the city streets, taking in the wild energy, the incredible spectrum of geometry - I had no idea that these urban influences would express themselves years later in these pieces. There is nothing random about them. Like any garden I ever painted, the desire to create harmony and dissonance, with an un-planned aproach remained the same. The "Urban Essays" however, require a different kind of challenge that is (perhaps) less lyrical or musical than the dance of leaves and flowers, but that is more about suggestion and the essence of place--something elusive.