Wild: ThunderstormWildfire Award of Distinction

Acrylic portrait--ARTIST STATEMENT
When I look at an object, listen to music, or read a good book, I want to feel a resonance with it. So, that’s the kind of reaction I hope to get with the art I make. For me, art making is about exploring an endless series of WHAT IFs. A blank canvas represents limitless possibilities.
Sometimes I find what I want in the making of it, rather than working toward a preconceived idea. It becomes a search for color harmony, compositional balance, and a state of flow. It’s an exercise of exploration—texture, paint, scrub, repeat—until I feel satiated. Physically working with various materials, experimenting and analyzing, while finding that vital sense of flow is what gives me the most satisfaction.”
The Dallas-based artist has been drawing and painting since she was old enough to hold a pencil, and “make a mess,” she says. Her award-winning art is now collected throughout the US, Canada and Europe.
“My artwork is inspired by the journey I make with my history and observation of visual images, textures, colors and shapes, and ultimately through all of that, I produce the finished piece. It’s like a patina of visceral responses—bumps and dents in wood; dings and scratches in old paint; lines and brushstrokes—in my work. All of this shows the journey of the artist and the story of that piece, through keen observation and execution alike. The ability to translate what I see into a painting or drawing is a talent I feel lucky to have and one I’m happy to share.
“Whether viewers are looking at an abstract painting, a representational drawing or a mixed media sculpture, I hope they can see that my art relates to deep, inward feelings. I respect technique and artistic traditions, but the beauty and depth of everything I make has to make your heart sing. Art is right for you when it speaks to you—and affects your spirit.”