THE WORD ART, IN ANY FORM, TRANSLATES TO CREATIVE SPIRIT
     
      I am a bohemian, a self-proclaimed recluse, and an artist who has dedicated my life to creating art.  Art has given my life an expressive soul, which unleashes the freedom of being. When I create art, I respond to an inner spirit, a “spiritual sensation” that overrides my conscious mind. To respond, in general, means to act upon a situation. To respond artistically to something means to draw out emotions from within: emotions such as happiness, sorrow, passion, warmth, and sensitivity.  My goal in creating art is to evoke a similar response in the viewer; a response unique to each individual. As I create each project, I use a directional flow with my compositions and forms to guide the viewer’s eye.

      My career in art, for the most part, has evolved to include an eclectic use of mediums, such as: ceramic sculpture, painting, printmaking, and handmade papermaking. I enjoy experimenting with surface treatments and contrasting textures with my sculptures.  In addition I enjoy utilizing various colors, shapes and textures with papermaking, paintings and collagraph printmaking. Creating art has been a dynamic and ever changing process which has allowed me to develop a unique perspective and vision.
 
      Currently I have focused on the mediums of clay and papermaking. Most of my clay sculptures include a face in some aspect of the design. I find that the expressions within a face can display emotion and attitude which in turn can give animation to an inanimate form. I began this creative journey of bringing life to forms in a beginning ceramic class in 1986. I wasn’t satisfied with just throwing pots and applying glazes. I was besieged with an overwhelming desire to bring life to the pots. From there I decided to turn the pots into sculptures. Over the years I have developed it into signature style.

      Organic handmade papermaking has given me the opportunity to explore a creative process that allows me to become one with nature. The organic materials I gather to make paper pulp are vegetated materials that no longer thrive; discarded. I believe I give them a renewed life in their use as an art medium. I soak, cook, and blend the material into a pulp then place it into vats of water where screens are used to collect the pulp as I create a painting with textured and colored pulp laid upon a cotton sheet to dry. It is hard work processing the materials into pulp, but it’s worth every bit of effort when I recycle rubbish into a work of fine art.

   Art from any source and about any subject should tell a story. 

•  It helps to pass on information from one generation to another.
• It speaks of who we are and where we came from. My art has helped me connect the past to the present.
• It reflects who I am and where I come from. I try to tell a story with each piece art I create.