"I create because I must. It’s a need.
I have been a full time working artist in Maine for the last 20 years. I am known mostly for my paintings of faceless dancers, food series, and series of Lobstering Women of Maine which are full of energy and color.
“Why no faces?” My answer: I realized it was not necessary. My dancers are about the motion, the emotion and the colors and patterns of dance.
Why dance? I have learned that my best paintings come from the heart. NO, I am not a dancer, but give me good music, a large canvas and paint...guaranteed... dancers will appear...I am usually moving when I paint! It is a process of embracing the accidents. I often begin my painting by pouring colors on the canvas, layering them until I begin seeing the forms of the dancers. Then I will draw to define the images, add color with a brush, perhaps pour again, and then define with brush, palette knife, spatula or fingers. It is a constant work of balance.
I took a break from the Dance series. It was harvest season. The lush vegetables were everywhere. The first painting I did of my Veggie series was a 4’x5’ of five onions. Then I painted another 4x4 that I titled The Elegant Eggplants. Since then tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, raspberries, garlic have all been welcome subjects. This was a process of drawing with paint, filling in spaces, wiping away colors and layering with transparent colors.
I have had a turn of interest in process and theme by creating a series of the Lobstering Women of Maine. I am using a more traditional approach to painting as I work on these portraits. I want them to be real and tell the story of these women as well as a piece of the process of lobstering. I have been absolutely obsessed with this project.
Many wonder about the variety of techniques I use. The answer is simple. I was trained as an art teacher learning to use many tools and processes. I feel that each theme is a new problem to solve and often lends itself to a unique technique."