ABOUT MY WORK
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A paint-by-numbers gift at age twelve, a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in 1977 and the Newport Art Museum are responsible for my obsession with painting. In 1996, at the suggestion of a friend, I began still life classes at the Coleman Center followed by basic courses on other genre, eventually moving to an abstract style starting in 2010.
My current paintings tend to be process-oriented, textural, gritty and feature layered colors. Oil and, sometimes, cold wax on stretched linen or canvas have been my preferred media but I enjoy trying different ways of working. A year ago, I began experimenting with textiles not commonly used for oil-painting, such as cheese cloth, sack cloth, burlap, etc. My techniques have included collage and applique as well as layering of oil paint and fabric to create textural effects. My practice has grown to include such items as rigid panels, printing tools and acrylic paint I am motivated by the colors of Pierre Bonnard, the surfaces of Paul Balmer and Richard Diebenkorn, the pure discipline of Luke Randall and the colors, surfaces and discipline inherent in works by Matisse. I look to these and other external sources for inspiration. But more and more I look at my recent work to find my own aesthetic and to provide continuity over time. My entry, Remnant, is painted on a hand-crafted leaf of dressmaker’s linen. Remnant is one of a group of eleven small works I painted at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA), New Smyrna Beach, Florida, December 2017. For the past five years I have had the privilege of participating in a residency program at the ACA created by Theresa Girard, a Rhode Island and Florida artist, teacher and producer of Workshops for Creative People EDUCATION B.S. Clothing, Textiles and Related Art, Michigan State University (MSU) Study Semester at Merrill Palmer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit M.S. Textiles and Related Art, University of Rhode Island Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education: Interior Design curriculum. URI Continuing Education: Real Estate Broker curriculum. EMPLOYMENT Vernon Court Junior College, Newport. Instructor: Retailing/ Fashion Merchandising Community College of Rhode Island, Instructor: University of Rhode Island, Department of Landscape Architecture, Associate Professor Emeriti. SELECT EXHIBITIONS Gallery Ellipsis: Street Signs, Honorable Mention, 2014 Little Compton Community Center Summer Art Show, 2014- 2022 Newport Art Museum Annual Member’s Show, 2015- 2018 Art League of Rhode Island Exhibition, Surface Tension, October 2016 Warwick Center for the Arts, Explore Abstraction 2017 WHERE TO SEE MY WORK Upcoming event~ THE MILL AT SHADY LEA OPEN STUDIOS Dec 2 and Dec 3, 2023 10-4 Free Admission 215 Shady Lea Rd North Kingstown, RI 02852 STUDIO #105 Year round~ Art Café, Little Compton, RI (2010-present) Shady Lea Mill, Suite 105, 215 Shady Lea Rd, N. Kingstown, RI (by chance or by appointment) |