I began creating art at 2 years old and never stopped. Art helped me to cope with my isolated, impoverished childhood. After two abusive relationships, I have once again turned to art as a way to support myself and my four kids and also to heal and come back to the relationship I had with art as a child, where it came from my heart.
Mediums: Oils, charcoal, digital
Favorite Artist Tool: Paintbrush
Go-to Local Inspiration: Hiking in the Kettle Moraine
Mentor Compliment: Maria is full of knowledge and grace. The trust she has in her body as she moves is inspiring to me. She has taught me that movement is a part of our art no matter what our practice of choice may be.
Fun Fact: Sourdough bread making is a passion of mine.
Serious Fact: I have raised almost every kind of farm animal you can think of. Goats are my favorite.
Artist Statement
A person is shadows and smears and drips. l translate their life into colors on canvas. Lines create form; colors create a relationship. When I choose a color, I am intentional since each color is deeply felt within me. A place visited may hum with the minor notes of a deep purple or a conversation with a dying loved one ribboned with a transitory shimmering gold.
Traditional mediums and techniques have always been my passion. Today, I use that knowledge as a base to satisfy my need for a semblance of reality in my work. Once that base is set, I feel free to add my subjective experiences to the artwork. Although image matters to me, it is my unique experience of that representation that is fundamental to my work.