About

Artist Statement

I’ve always enjoyed going to museums and galleries and appreciating art. I just didn’t think of myself as an artist.

But color! Color lured me in and showed me a path to follow. I learned about the “painterly” approach, which emphasizes color and texture/brushstrokes (think Monet, Matisse, Cezanne, and Van Gogh). My artistic style veers toward the abstract, where shapes and colors capture the essence of a place or scene, rather than an exact likeness.

You will see evidence of this painterly approach, and my delight in playing with color and shape in the paintings on my site. Cloud formations, sunrises, and sunsets provide glorious chances to engage with both, hence the numerous skyscapes and landscapes highlighting skies. 

When I can’t face grappling with one more tree, I turn to still-lives, a refreshing change.

My medium of choice is pastel. The vibrant, immediate colors they provide excite and inspire me. 

If you long to paint, don’t dismiss the idea without playing around a bit first. Like me, you might surprise yourself and find a pastime you love.

Special thanks to Theresa Somaio and Eden Compton — two inspiring teachers.

Evolution as an Artist

I began, during COVID, with creating artist trading cards (ATCs), which I found to be enormously fun, as they could be anything: collage, drawings, monoprints, and more.  I also loved the idea that they shouldn't be sold, only traded. I traded with people around the globe, and now have my own miniature art museum of ATCs.

After seeing an exhibit of artist books in Northampton, MA in 2021, I became excited about the possibilities of this genre. Marrying books, a central part of my life, with opportunities to expand what one could do with an ATC (which is only 2 1/2" by 3 1/2")  seemed a wonderful next step on my artistic path.

From there, I started to take watercolor classes, and then pastel classes, both local and online.  I began one-on-one learning sessions with established artist Eden Compton of Saratoga Springs, NY. Each semester, I take one or more continuing education art classes with the talented and encouraging Theresa Somaio.

A significant step in my starting to identify as an artist is to becoming a member of a small group of amazing women painters in the Albany, NY area, The Round Table. They are wonderful cheerleaders, challengers, and, upon request, critiquers (which sounds more accurate than "critics"). I have participated in Round Table shows at local libraries, and have begun to enter judged art shows thanks to their encouragement.

Alain Picard

In August 2024, I took a four-day workshop with Alain Picard at the Connecticut River Valley Inn in lovely Glastonbury, CT.  My goal was to become freer in my pastel painting and to learn how mark-making would assist me in my quest. This painting of lemons is the last of four works I completed during the workshop, and I am pleased with my progress towards my goal.