My childhood was spent on an island in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by three sisters, a mother and grandmother, and many female cousins and my poor father. I focus on the solo female figure in my paintings for no particular reason. This wasn’t intentional but rather intuitive because of the influences from my childhood. Lately I have been thinking about growing older and am interested in imagining older women being physically active and lively. Children are another influence when I paint. I believe it’s important for children to relate to art and the visual world, and my paintings can be captivating to a young audience.
I paint to make people happy. Often I paint from my imagination or dreams, and other times I’ll see an image or environment and feel compelled to put that on canvas. I try to add humor to my paintings. When I explore landscapes I love the idea of using bright colors to communicate a sense of place. I use bold palettes and patterns in a different way than landscapes are typically expressed.