Artist statement
As an artist, I have a drive to be creative every day. I feel at home in my studio with a paintbrush in my hand, or with a sewing machine whirring in front of me, or knitting a pair of socks with my knitting needles. I value handmade things like embroidered fabrics, knit sweaters, woven textiles, ceramic bowls, vases overflowing with flowers and hand carved utensils. I love folk art, outsider art and identify with artists with a compulsion for self expression. I also take inspiration from the historically woman’s work of raising children and of keeping a nourishing home through love, food, warmth, color and light. I celebrate the most simple of gifts like a bouquet of summer garden flowers, a pair of hand knit mittens, or a delicious meal. Gifts like these reveal the love and time that went into making someone feel honored. That feeling is what I strive to capture in my paintings.
As a daughter and mother, there are moments I want to remember forever, especially ones involving the people I love, because they bring me a feeling of peace and understanding that there is good in the world. There are also moments I’d like to forget but can’t, feelings of shame, pain, and loss, which I acknowledge are a part of life. My mother recently passed away bringing forth so many happy memories but also grief now that she is gone. I am so grateful for her presence and for what she taught me. She taught me about the joy that exists all around us despite life’s challenges. I try to teach this to my own children. My recent paintings depict life’s transformation through the visual form of butterflies which are thought to be a symbol of the souls of loved ones, through our natural environment which is constantly moving through cycles of birth, life and death, and in imaginary places which are a meditative escape.