Portfolio of Works

JAZZ ABSTRACTIONS

This series of paintings  was born out of a need to “put paint on paper”,  but not having the time or energy to do the large, complex mixed media paintings I had been doing prior to taking a full time teaching position. Drawing on the idea from a student project, I began doing loose, playful, experimental paintings, inspired by the rhythms in the jazz music I love (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter are favorites…)  The paintings begin by the application of loose, spontaneous  washes and  lines painted to music, often in progressive layers. I add structure by carefully painting clearly defined shapes in some of the negative spaces. I am intrigued by the play of shapes, lines, edges, and spaces in these playful, intuitive watercolor paintings. The process of doing these paintings is as important to me as the end results.  Fascination with the scribble drawings of my then 3 year old granddaughter led to another variation of these paintings—controlled linear scribbles, followed by careful addition of color inside some of the shapes created.   As with all my work, I continue to experiment with pushing the edges, by adding elements of mixed media, collage, and geometric elements to some of my newer pieces.

WATER  ABSTRACTIONS

Living on a lake, I have the benefit and joy of being able to closely observe rhythms,  reflections, patterns, colors, and the mysteries of water from various vantage points, including from my kayak and paddleboat. The paintings in this series are a result of this attraction. They are not meant to be representational, but instead are very process-oriented—loose, spontaneous, rhythmic, experimental.  After the initial colors are applied, I am more deliberate with adding color to some of the negative spaces, leaving controlled white edges. I am intrigued by the play of shapes, lines, edges, and spaces in these loose, playful, intuitive watercolor paintings. As in all my work, I continue to experiment with pushing the edges, by adding elements of mixed media and collage to some of my newer pieces. Much of my recent work in this category is influenced by spending several months of the winter in Gulf Shores Alabama, being fascinated by the ever changing Gulf of Mexico.

LANDSCAPES

From my earliest days of painting, I have been attracted to landscapes, especially those including trees, hills, and farm buildings set against a distant horizon. Rather than reproducing a scene in a photographic manner, I take elements that interest me, such as colors and textures of fields, sky, water, foliage, hills, and buildings and rearrange them in unique ways. I like to show multiple viewpoints and sections of elements, and often highlight and change the scale of certain areas of the work by enclosing them in squares, rectangles, and other geometric shapes. The addition of grid lines adds a map-like element to some of my works, and a strong horizon line has remained a consistent theme. Cutting apart a finished piece and rearranging the shapes holds a particular fascination.  Watercolor is my primary medium, but at times I use it in a non-traditional fashion, by adding other materials such as gesso, graphite, colored pencil, and collaged pieces of paintings, to create layers of colors and textures. I continue to experiment and push edges, and like to rework earlier pieces with new ideas. 

Trees as subject matter has been a fairly recent phenomenon for me, perhaps initiated by spending much time gazing out the window during the pandemic lockdown…  I’m inspired by the amazing linear qualities of tree trunks and branches and enjoy the process of of creating fluid, flowing lines with various sizes and shapes of brushes with watercolor. Fun!  I love the interplay of shapes and patterns created by the bare branches against the sky and particularly by the negative shapes created in the spaces between the branches.  As with my other series of paintings, I like to play with painting inside the shapes created in those spaces. And, as with my other series, I am already experimenting with new ideas and directions.  Stay  tuned!