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Observations of people and the natural world inspire my work. I focused for many years on honing my technical skills to produce the most realistic representations of people and nature that I could. However, in the past few years I have become more abstract in my approach. I found this approach provides me with new and exciting ways of seeing and more opportunities for creative expression.

 

In my both my pastel and watercolor paintings, I use color, texture, composition, and expressive mark-making to add dimensions of meaning to the image. Paradoxically, the more I move away from realism, the more revelations about the subject of a painting emerge.

 

Most of my abstract work emanates from previous realistic work. My floral paintings are done using flower arrangements. My figurative work is done using live models and landscape paintings are based on plein-air sketches and photographs I take while walking my dog, Tootsie. Whether painting florals, figures, or landscapes I begin by working on realistic studies. I use these studies as inspiration for abstract paintings.

 

This process frees me up from preconceived notions about what makes a painting successful. It allows me to be more spontaneous and experimental. For example, I might use a cropped section of a realistic painting to create a series of abstract pieces. Or I will change color schemes, add shapes or a variety of marks to give the viewer a new perspective on the subject.

 

In addition, I take pleasure using mediums that enhance creative discovery and flexibility. I use the transparency of watercolor or the bold colors of pastel to add energy and feeling to each painting. I find that pastel is the perfect medium for experimentation. I particularly like the versatility of pastel and the variety of textures that can be achieved by applying pastel to different surfaces. 

 

By layering pastels I’m able to build depth of color and heighten the emotional content in each painting. I use the pastel underpainting stage to give the work an experimental feel and loosen things up from the beginning. Finally, I explore where the subject and surrounding space interact by breaking up the surface with a variety of superimposed lines and shapes.

 

I am excited to continue exploring the intersection of abstraction and representation to reveal the psychological and emotional content in my paintings.