Bio:
I grew up in Southern California, loved to draw my entire childhood, and ultimately studied fine art and communications in college. An early influence in my life led me to a career in advertising and design. My father was a design engineer for the space industry, and back in the day had a drafting table at home that he worked on. For some reason I found that table and his drafting tools extremely intriguing and longed to work at such a table someday.
In college when I took an advertising class and got to actually work at drafting table, I fell in love with graphic design. I have worked as a graphic designer for the last 35+ years, partially in California, and then for the last 30 years in Thurston County, WA. I co-owned a graphic design studio in Lacey and Tumwater and the sense of design I developed over the years definitely influences my painting today.
I started painting in acrylics during the pandemic as a creative outlet but also because I have always loved art. I have practiced a variety of styles and found that abstract painting/multi media is the most fulfilling for me. Semiretired now from design work, I paint in my studio at home in Lacey, WA and thoroughly enjoy the local art scene and the community of amazing artists.
Artist Statement:
The pandemic made creating art much more important in my life. The world seemed so chaotic and I wanted to come back to some level of peace, understanding, and love.
I found abstract painting was the best way to break out of my structured past as a graphic designer; a journey to the unknown. I found forgiveness in painting with acrylics and also second chances. It has all correlated with my personal life, and has offered me a new way to express my feelings.
I embed a message in each of my paintings to myself and whoever views it. The communication is either written clearly on the canvas or hidden beneath layers of paint, sometimes using type I have set and printed for the piece. The message is almost always uplifting, and hopefully visually interesting to the viewer as well. This is a journey I hope to travel for the rest of my life, always willing to learn and take the next step.
