All my life, I’ve honored and been fascinated by ancient, indigenous cultures. The beliefs, clothing, fabric, colors, embellishments all seem to me to point to a spiritual connection which I find mesmerizing. A closeness with nature and other realms in these peoples is actually what I am looking to represent in my abstract depictions of them. I am also inspired by healthy family and tribe. My depictions of animals and birds are symbolic of a shamanic connection through nature and spirit. Each of my figures, in the end, if I do my job well, seems somehow part of something bigger.
Sometimes it takes an unusual event to jar us from our waking sleep.
I have been a painter for years, but never with the focus I've had this year.
It all started with a small bird who landed on my hand as I held a teacup to my cheek, meditating in our garden this spring. Her beak was literally 1/2 inch from my cheek. She sat there for seconds before perching on my shoulder. Then she was off, flying free.
Afterward, I contemplated what, if anything, this meant. I was moved to go to my studio and started to allow a surge of energies, who identified themselves as the Guardians, to flow through me. I believe these paintings have to do with those beings, unseen and seen, who land on our shoulder or take our hand, letting us know they are are around in myriad forms to uplift, inspire, and bring joy to our hearts, especially in these current times.
My style has more to do with the depiction of beingness and the physics of color than with identifying who these Beings are, where they are from, or why they are wearing what they are clothed in, although it feels like ancient rememberings. They literally paint themselves using my hands to bring themselves into our world. Through numerous sessions - there are many, many layers of paint on each piece - they emerge slowly.
My intention is to stay clear so the energy I feel while painting carries through to you, the viewer. Enjoy these visitors and protectors.
As any artist knows, we all begin with a blank space on a surface. I’m deeply involved with what is allowed to fill that space. Each and every piece of mine is the culmination of many other paintings. I may think each is finished at a certain point. But the piece will stay in my studio until I have finished listening to the conversation it is having with me. In this are many layers of paint, color and intention. I prefer a water media technique, acrylic paint, often with collage for texture and interest. As the layers and color physics come together, I realize that what has emerged may be quite different from how I had imagined it. These figures and animals have their own agenda, it seems. I am in service to them and how they want to be depicted through my hands.
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