Art untangles my soul.  It is why I paint and why I want my work to touch you – whether it is to untangle your soul, energize your mind, or soothe your heart.

I remember at 4 years old I was drawn to the texture, the messiness, the smell, colors of paint and construction paper. I didn’t know it was art.  It was just fun.  I had a metal watercolor set that had a folding cover that doubled as a mixing tray. I liked mixing colors and creating shapes. I was never interested in reproducing or copying real life. I wouldn’t color within the lines. I wanted to create something new that was not there before.

When I got older, I was first influenced by the work of Jackson Pollock and later Sam Francis.

MY PROCESS BEGINS BEFORE I PICK UP THE BRUSH

I always listen to music when I paint. Opening up my sensitivity is my path to getting in touch with the gift I am fortunate to have been given. I awaken my right brain by closing my eyes and breathing deeply, and instantly I am free of the now and filled with the childlike wonder that makes my art limitless.

I usually don’t have a vision of what I will paint. I might have a color in mind but not a destination. I don’t own an easel or a palette. Even using a brush is too structured. I refuse to confine myself to a particular medium. Full throttle and wide open is my goal. I am 100 percent self-taught.

LARGE PAINTINGS

I love painting large.  It is like turning up the volume for me.  It is a specialty since not that many artists paint on a large scale and few are fortunate enough to display large works. Painting large has its own delights and challenges.  Sometimes the subject calls for space to express itself.  One thing I realized is “I’m gonna need a lot more paint.”

THE DRIP TECHNIQUE

Jackson Pollock opened the world to a new way to create art by dripping or controlling how the paint is applied to the canvas.  The paint dances in the air and its’ final expression is captured on the canvas.  It is an organic process that creates itself as it morphs with other paint to create something that cannot be precisely planned or imagined.  It literally evolves.  I control the color and the dance.  There is an interactive process that I engage in with that painting that is intimate and unique with each piece.

Just as a writer coalesces words or a musician plays notes, none of it is random any more so that the paint I dance with in the air. Part of me is captured in each painting I create.

Exactly how I have refined this technique for my art over the years must remain a mystery.