Sobre el Artista

I am a Northern California artist and currently paint with oils on canvas and linen. My subject matter encompasses special places or moments, a bird soaring or resting, water rushing or gently flowing, a field of wild flowers blooming or trees and vineyards full of color. Or when light and color bring inspiration. I take photos using them for references, later deciding the format, composition and colors that best conveys my experience of space and time. My intention is to convey that sense of tranquility or peaceful state of mind. Or that kind of nostalgia that Nature can evoke.Once I have a strong visual and structural sense of what I what to do, I begin to layer my choices of contrasting warms and cools. Gradually, what I am painting becomes much less about my photo references and more about the paint and quality of surfaces. It becomes about the process and play of smooth and delineated against textural and detailed and, what is distant or close. For me, my brushstrokes become like musical notes that reflect feelings, moods, rhythms and energy and, my paintings become orchestrations. But, instead of instruments, I combined and compose subject, intense contrasting color, line and form. Ultimately, with the exploration of all these elements, I have explored a variety of mediums and muses throughout the years. After receiving my Masters in 1989 from Humboldt State University of California, I worked as an sculptor creating indoor and outdoor female, figurative sculptures for a total of 15 years. I made many of my sculptures from Ferro-cement(cement reinforced with steel) and some from wood then, later birds and figures in clay. Then, approximately 4 years ago, I revisited my first love drawing and began to paint with Pastels on Paper and, since 2011, Oils on Canvas and Linen.