For me, painting is an adventure into the unknown, yet the adventure of not
knowing where it will lead finally ends up at a level of self-discovery. It’s
an illuminating experience, with many twists and turns; that is what makes it
exciting. Letting my mind be free to express itself, to go past the reality
of a subject, to reach into the depths of feeling I have within myself is the
trueness of painting. It fulfills a need for personal resolution.
Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, my father and my surroundings influenced
me to think creatively; first in music studying piano and flute, then with art
studying all forms and mediums. I regularly spent many hours in and around the
Parthenon studying art. Through the years, my desire for knowledge of art led
me to study with many various artists and universities. My life experiences
have led me from living in Tennessee, to living in Anchorage Alaska for several
years, then to living in Texas, first in San Antonio, then in Ft Worth for many
years.
My interest in painting, along with the adventure, is the joy of putting colors
together. I use color extensively, layer upon layer to give my paintings the
richness of color I see or envision in the subject I am working with whether
it is a real subject or a part of my imagination. I consider all colors for
any one subject. For this reason, I feel a kinship with the Fauvist movement.
My belief about color is as Matisse believed -- “colours have a beauty
of their own and must be preserved, just as, in music, it is the timbre that
must not be lost”.