A windblown sunflower seed that grew beside my front door in 1978 became the catalyst for my first “cycle of life” series. Recently widowed, I was searching for myself in my art. Since then, I have become a storyteller, context always a part of my work, even when I discover it after the work is completed
“Cycle” has been defined as “a period of time or complete process of growth or action that repeats itself in the same order.” As I look over my work, I find that it is composed of cycles that have evolved over the years as I continue to express my most inner feelings in a visual manner. Each cycle has led to a series of work exploring my subject. Each series has led to the next with common underlying themes of Women, Nature, and Communication.
I use common objects, landscapes, and patterns as metaphors to make statements about the environment, politics and religion. Juxtaposing ancient myths with my own culture, giving surreal twists to everyday objects and places, I have responded to the world in which I live. From petroglyphs, to graffiti, to the painted caves of France, I have assimilated the spiritual forces surrounding me and, through symbolism, attempted to express their essence in my art.
My paintings in oil and acrylic are complex in construction like pieces of a puzzle coming together. Using color as part of the emotional content, I work intuitively to let familiar objects become metaphors for abstract ideas. In watercolor, I often pour the paint on the surface and let it dictate the direction of the painting
I am increasingly concerned with communication. Fearful that technology will erase the collective memory of the ancient peoples who made their marks on rocks and carved their stories in wood, I study cycles of time and try to preserve their stories. Our environment, too, is in danger from toxic chemicals and man’s intervention in the wilderness.
Nature spirits who inhabit the rocks, waters, and plants are a part of my current cycle. Their faces emerge from my poured surface. In retrospect, they have much to tell me.
July 2001