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Artist Statement
Nature has always provided the main inspiration for my artwork. I have come increasingly to experience the forms of nature as part of a larger body - the body of the earth – and I have attempted to convey that experience in my paintings. I see our existence, and the ultimate fate of the earth, as dependent on the way in which we treat the earth’s body, the source of all life. Our fate is inextricably connected to the fate of the earth, and all around is evidence of the devastating consequences of our failure to understand and act on the importance of that connection. Through art I hope to reawaken the viewer’s recognition of this relationship, and to recognize the vital importance of honoring it.
Sometimes I paint or draw directly from nature, but in the studio I mostly begin working without a definite plan or even a specific subject. Color, movement, feeling, an attraction to a particular medium – any of these may provide a starting point. Gradually some form will suggest itself and I then follow and refine it. The result may be representational, abstract, or somewhere in between. Themes develop and persist, sometimes forming a series. My meditation practice and the teachings of Buddhism have had a profound influence on my art, both on the way I work, attempting to maintain a moment to moment awareness of the process as it unfolds, and on the themes that emerge.
The medium I work in varies depending on what I am drawn to at any given moment, and I find that exploring new media and combinations of media opens up new possibilities. My most recent explorations have brought me to printmaking and handmade books, adding to my repertoire in watercolor, acrylic painting, drawing, collage, clay and plaster sculpture and mixed media. My work ranges in size from postcard-size watercolors to 6-foot diameter wall pieces.
I am a psychotherapist as well as an artist, and for the past 10 years have led workshops in the exploration of the creative process. In these workshops I assist participants in discovering their own capacity for creativity. These workshops are open to all, and are as suitable for those who have no art experience as for artists who may feel blocked or wish to explore new aspects of their creativity.
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