Working takes many forms, and it is how we spend so much of our waking hours. But what does it mean to work? I painted a self-portrait on one of my husband’s discarded “work shirts” to explore this question. For work, he wears one of these “work shirts” with a suit and tie and goes to an office. Am I “working” if I’m caring for a child at home and painting while naps, hopefully, happen? Am … Read More

Art class was my favorite. I won a summer scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago, earning my first solo exhibition. Wandering the halls of the Art Institute at a young age affected me deeply. I wanted to become an Impressionist. One of my idols is Carl Krafft, an early 20th century Expressionist painter from Chicago. He traveled to the Ozarks to paint and started the Ozark Painters Society. When he passed in 1936, the … Read More

It is my intention to create art that is accessible to the greatest number of people. I feel that graphite pencils on paper is the most ubiquitous of all art forms, as almost everyone in the Western world has drawn with a pencil on paper at some point. My drawings are intended to express my personal concepts of beauty, mostly through human form and expression.   My friend Katya has become my muse for most of … Read More

In my most recent work, Cracks in the Landscape Series, I have been focused on manipulating the agricultural landscapes that one sees on the eastern half of Arkansas. These works are first taken on a 1980’s era Polaroid Instant camera. After the image has developed, I take the actual photo apart and soak it. I then remove the film or skin on which the image sits and then place it carefully on basswood or other … Read More

Barbie, the Great American Icon, has become an artistic medium in several of my creations. This particular Barbie survived thousands of miles as a hood ornament before rising up to expose the naked truth about today’s America. Climbing out of the ruins, she lifts with her all the little people: the down-trodden, the marginalized, the others. Barbie’s ascension speaks of the survival of the Feminine over oppression and subjugation, a triumph of peace and love … Read More

Some of my recent work is made with a stylus on an iPad. The tablet frees me to make finished work directly from subjects and in places where traditional paints are impractical or too conspicuous. This broadens the range of subjects from which the painter can work, unfiltered by photography or preparatory sketches. The tools of digital painting have evolved to the point that they feel very natural to me. Still, I am quite conscious … Read More