Painting is my passion, my release and my frustration. Most of my work consists of landscapes and still lifes.  I work with oil paints on prepared hard board using palette knives and brushes. Landscapes develop in more detail by utilizing the palette knife. With a knife, I can create the roughness of nature quickly while painting outdoors. Still lifes tend to unfold using brushes, the strokes showing the details of form.  I put down spots of color and concentrate on the way the colors interact with each other to create highlights and shadows that compose a visual statement of my subject.

    I have introduced the human figure into my work. The challenge of painting the figure began while I was recovering from breast cancer in 2005. Creating a self-portrait while bald from chemo helped bring back my concentration and awareness. This self-portrait has won two awards. My interests focus on figures taking part in their environment, being involved in everyday activities. I want to find the connection between each figure by observing their relationships with their surroundings.  While holding on to the concepts of color interaction, highlights and shadows, I want my work to tell a short story or capture a moment in time.  I hope to convey to the viewer the way I see and feel while painting my subject. The figure within its environment has stirred a deep interest in me that I plan to explore for a long time. I am always learning because I believe you never stop being a student of life.