Artist Statement:
My art references the natural world, based on observation, in which nature is seen as a reflection of the human condition. I am inspired by the physical and sensory qualities of natural environments and my emotional connection to these places and atmospheres. My painting process is a free expression of my feelings, resulting in non-objective abstract explorations.
With allusions to nature's essence of color, organic shapes and varied textures, I work intuitively with brushes and tools, patiently disturbing surface layers by covering and revealing, altering and adjusting. While the paint suggests a path through the work as it develops, the process evolves within my relationship to the marks. I keep some of these and hide others, knowing all that has preceded. This experience of painting becomes a metaphor for the internal and external forces that shape us as human beings.
By engaging viewers' memory and imagination, I hope to promote attention and appreciation of place. My ultimate intention is to cultivate an awareness of the connection between the natural world and human emotions, experiences and existence.
I am an abstract artist residing and working in the Northern San Francisco Bay Area and originally from the Central San Joaquin Valley. I have exhibited my work in solo and group exhibitions in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties, Fresno and Visalia, California.
Education:
2013 MFA - Fine Art, Painting, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
2001 Teaching Credential - Art, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA
1997 BA - Interior Design, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA
Professional/Teaching Experience:
2013 - 2015 Visual Arts Educator, Oak Grove Union School District, Santa Rosa, CA
2010 - 2013 Visual Arts Educator, Santa Rosa City Schools, Santa Rosa, CA
2001 - 2010 Visual Arts Educator, Tulare City School District, Tulare, CA
Exhibitions:
2021 Unprecedented - Juried group exhibition, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2019 Alchemy - Juried group exhibition, Arts Guild of Sonoma, Sonoma, CA
2018 Recent Paintings - Group exhibition, Cafe 225, Visalia, CA
2018 Highway 41 - Invitational group exhibition, A Sense of Place Fine Art Gallery, Fresno, CA
2018 Our Horizons - Featured artist, A Sense of Place Fine Art Gallery, Fresno, CA
2016 Unfolding - Solo exhibition, Arts Visalia, Visalia, CA
2014 Parallel Nature - Solo exhibition, Gallery 625, San Francisco, CA
2014 Parallel Nature - Featured artist, Room Art Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2013 Not Just Landscapes - Juried group exhibition, Sebastopol Center For The Arts, Sebastopol, CA
2013 Academy of Art University Spring Show - Group exhibition, Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA
2012 Bi-Annual Juried Exhibition - Juried group exhibition, Falkirk Cultural Center, San Rafael, CA
2012 River and Stream - Juried group exhibition, Healdsburg Center For The Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2012 All Things Orange - Juried group exhibition, Healdsburg Center For The Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2011 8th Annual National Arts Program - Group exhibition, Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa, CA
2007 Holiday Exhibit - Group exhibition, Design by Arenas Fine Art Gallery, Visalia, CA
2007 Contrasts - Group exhibition, Design by Arenas Fine Art Gallery, Visalia, CA
2006 Major Open Fine Art Show, Alliance of California Artists - Arts Visalia Gallery, Visalia, CA
Artistic Influences:
My primary artistic influence involves the artists and artworks of the San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism (1940s - 1960s). These artists include Richard Diebenkorn, Jay DeFeo, Sonia Gechtoff and John Saccaro.
Artist Tags:
abstract, expressionism, nature, landscape, water, abstract landscape
