About The Artist

Bio

Born in England, I immigrated with my family to the New York in the 1960’s. Upon high school graduation, I returned to England to Exeter University in Devon and graduated in 1973 with a BSc. in Honours Zoology. In 1976, my husband and I returned to the United States. I have worked in administration in business and academia in the Boston area. In addition, I have had home-based businesses in word processing and flower arranging. Over the past ten years, I have at various times studied watercolor with Fredericka Fiechter and Nancy S. Howells, pastel technique and figure drawing with Jill Pottle at the DeCordova Museum School, with Mike Dowling at the Danforth Museum School, and been a member of the Radcliffe and Lesley Seminars’ Watercolor Atelier under the guidance of Marion Parry. This group is no longer affiliate with any institution and continues to meet bi-weekly. In addition, I have taken workshops, both here and abroad, including: Miles Batt, Judi Betts, Jeanne Dobie, Nancy S. Howell, Skip Lawrence, Christopher Schink, Fran Larsen, Alex Powers, Katherine Chang Liu, John Salminen and Albany Wiseman. I have exhibited in businesses and libraries in the area, as well as both regional and national juried shows. In May 2004, my husband and I moved from Dover, MA to Mattapoisett, MA, where I have my home-studio. We have two children: a son, 25, in the Army and a daughter, 19, in college.

Education

Statement

From as early as I can remember, art has been part of my life. I majored in zoology at university, then worked in business and academia before the births of my children, while all the time involved in creative activities. In 1995, I joined a weekly painting group to “try watercolor.” This was enough for me to realize that I missed painting. Today, I paint most days in my home studio.

Over the next few years my paintings were descriptive renderings in the transparent watercolor tradition. The resulting paintings were satisfactory but lacked the expressive qualities I was seeking. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to paint without regard to the accepted watercolor guidelines: left whites, darks next to lights, neutrals next to pure color or avoiding opaque pigments. This ‘letting-go’ of the watercolor guidelines was outside my comfort zone. The results were instantly bigger, bolder, and looser with, to my surprise, expressive qualities similar to my childhood paintings. I realized that my earlier struggles were a result of my painting the way I had been told I should rather than what came naturally to me. Excited, I studied the works of Georgia O’Keefe, Hans Hofman, Wolf Kahn, Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper, Cezanne, JMW Turner, Wayne Thiebaud, David Hockney and others; with each I found support for my new adventure. Every painter has a unique “voice” and I felt that I was on the path to finding mine.

I respond to the interplay of light with color creating atmosphere. The luminosity of pigment, the range of color and intensities, and limitless ways to use the pigments excite me. My challenge is to express the feeling of the subject with color and shape; to create visual reality rather than a rendering of reality.

My paintings all start with a response to a visual experience. I photograph, sketch and make notes. The image evolves in my head, after which I do color studies using my earlier sketches, photographs and notes as starting points. I do not paint on-site or while looking at my studies which frees me from including detail and allows me to reinterpret reality for the benefit of my content and composition.

With a loose sketch on 300 lb. cold press paper, I paint using a 1” or 2” bristle brush (such as a housepainter might use) on dry paper, layering color, dry brush over wet paint. I add, remove and move pigment around the paper until I get to a point where I need to step back and look at my painting before going back to it. This critical looking can take days, if not weeks. If it suits my intent, I will use pastel, gouache, Chinese ink, acrylic, and so on.

I like to explore a subject by painting series of related images. One such series uses chairs in simple settings to suggest conversations or relationships, seen or unseen. These chairs, painted against muted backgrounds using shape, color, soft edges, intentionally create mystery. The results are purposely ambiguous. How these images are interpreted is up to the individual.

Exhibitions, Shows and Awards

Juried Exhibitions and Awards

Solo Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions

Galleries

Private Collections