My Creative Expression
A recent transplant from New Jersey, I am a mixed media artist living and working in Venice Florida. Being creative has always been a big part of my life, and the art I make reflects my love of combining a variety of materials. I like to draw, paint, collage, integrate photography, and add textural elements to my work. Basically I like to get my hands dirty. I have always been drawn to using vibrant colors and outlines to make my artwork more expressive. I like to base my imagery on self reflection, emotions, and spiritual meditation. Drawing from my daily experiences working with city kids for 20 years, I love incorporating graffiti style and mixed media into my work. The bold and provocative colors, lines and shapes of graffiti, and the layers and grunge of the street combine well with my need to express. I consider my work to be a mix of abstract and representational styles. I've always been drawn to the Post Impressionistic and Fauvist painters for their bold colors and style, and find I best express myself in a similar way.
What has emerged is a fusion of styles that sits well with my soul and continues to inspire and fuel my artistic passion.
What has emerged is a fusion of styles that sits well with my soul and continues to inspire and fuel my artistic passion.
New Series of mixed media paintings In process
I recently took a Visual Journaling Course and am exploring archetypal female personas. I've based my paintings on an idea or feeling I want to express which includes some research into finding the right visual symbols. Once I have my structure, I work quite intuitively with the background and subject matter, letting my idea change and grow as I work. This allows me to get into the "flow" of the art making process and becomes more authentic to me.
New Paintings: Pop Art Doggies
Available at Joe Maxx Coffee Shop in Englewood Fl
Smaller pieces I created over the winter 2016-17
2016: Bird Series
I enjoy watching the birds from my kitchen window, especially the little sparrows. Every Spring I find myself helping out baby birds that fall from their nest, or are in an easy spot for the neighborhood cats to find. I always end up worrying too much about them as it consumes a good chunk of my time. Watching the birds makes me think about a Bible verse I learned many years ago. "If not a sparrow falls without God knowing, how he must care for us" Matthew 10:29. Seeing the birds go about their daily routine and meditating on this verse gives me a sense of inner peace no matter what is going on in my life.
This brings me to my paintings. I didn't really intend to create lots of birds, but they keep appearing in my work. I don't quite know the direction of each piece until it starts to take shape, as I rely on my artistic process. I've been consciously loosening up my grip and working more intuitively, which I'm enjoying. I build up layers of collage, acrylic paint, oil pastels & ink, guided by my emotions and subconscious. The message that resonates for me is my own struggle of aiming to be a better person with each new day. Of figuring out how to live with the ugly and keep my light shining.
This brings me to my paintings. I didn't really intend to create lots of birds, but they keep appearing in my work. I don't quite know the direction of each piece until it starts to take shape, as I rely on my artistic process. I've been consciously loosening up my grip and working more intuitively, which I'm enjoying. I build up layers of collage, acrylic paint, oil pastels & ink, guided by my emotions and subconscious. The message that resonates for me is my own struggle of aiming to be a better person with each new day. Of figuring out how to live with the ugly and keep my light shining.