artist's statement
My process begins with a simple line drawing. I just start doodling, much like the automatic drawings of the Surrealists, allowing my unconscious mind to create the content. These sketches are foundational to the development of my work and much of the original lines are retained in the final piece.
I tell stories that are not necessarily in a known language; often they appear to me as a puzzle or mystery to be unveiled. When I finish a work I sit and view it, much like the audience would, and let it speak to me. It’s like having a dream, waking up, and trying to understand it. I encourage the viewer to create their own story from my work, and through this process, perhaps uncover their own unconscious mind.
At first glance, my work may seem playful, but with a closer look you will often find a darker narrative. Through the use of contrasting elements that project a combination of whimsy and dis-ease, I integrate the conflicts of both my inner and outer world. Information from my dreams, imagination, and memory is gathered and organized, creating new realities and patterns, perhaps more truthful than our commonly recognized ones. Although the iconography is personal, the resulting images tap into a collective unconscious.
I’ve always loved drawing, even the way the pencil sounds as it moves across the surface of the paper, or the musical taps of the pastel sticks making marks. Working with soft pastel and pastel pencils on paper allows me to emphasize linear marks, ranging from bold to barely visible, and to build a rich surface of texture and shading. Key to my vision and compositions are palette restriction, layering, and the creation of transparency within forms. Broken shapes and simultaneity reveal cubistic influences, while the frequent use of flat outlined shapes give my work a graphic feel. Each piece reflects my journey, blending representational elements with abstraction, finding unity and harmony in the chaos of fragments.
I tell stories that are not necessarily in a known language; often they appear to me as a puzzle or mystery to be unveiled. When I finish a work I sit and view it, much like the audience would, and let it speak to me. It’s like having a dream, waking up, and trying to understand it. I encourage the viewer to create their own story from my work, and through this process, perhaps uncover their own unconscious mind.
At first glance, my work may seem playful, but with a closer look you will often find a darker narrative. Through the use of contrasting elements that project a combination of whimsy and dis-ease, I integrate the conflicts of both my inner and outer world. Information from my dreams, imagination, and memory is gathered and organized, creating new realities and patterns, perhaps more truthful than our commonly recognized ones. Although the iconography is personal, the resulting images tap into a collective unconscious.
I’ve always loved drawing, even the way the pencil sounds as it moves across the surface of the paper, or the musical taps of the pastel sticks making marks. Working with soft pastel and pastel pencils on paper allows me to emphasize linear marks, ranging from bold to barely visible, and to build a rich surface of texture and shading. Key to my vision and compositions are palette restriction, layering, and the creation of transparency within forms. Broken shapes and simultaneity reveal cubistic influences, while the frequent use of flat outlined shapes give my work a graphic feel. Each piece reflects my journey, blending representational elements with abstraction, finding unity and harmony in the chaos of fragments.
EXHIBITION LIST:
2020
Galex 54 National Competition & Exhibition -Galesburg Civic Art Center, Galesburg, IL
2019
16th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
2019 DuMA Biennial - Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA.
62st Annual Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.
37th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition - Bradley University, Peoria IL.
2018
15th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
Solo Exhibition -Beloit Art Center, Beloit, WI.
Rockford Midwestern Biennial -Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL.
61st Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI. People’s Choice Award for Manipulation Station”.
Solo Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
2017
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI. Solo Exhibition Award.
60th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI. Honorable Mention Award for “Ascension”.
2016
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
Solo Exhibition - Carbon Color and Calligraphy: Uncovering the Unconscious. Art Upstairs Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
9th Annual Women’s Works Exhibition -Woodstock, IL.
2015
The Base Line: An Exhibition of Drawing -ARC Gallery, Chicago IL.
12th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
58th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition- Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.
18th International Exhibition -Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2014
11th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
57th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition- Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.
2020
Galex 54 National Competition & Exhibition -Galesburg Civic Art Center, Galesburg, IL
2019
16th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
2019 DuMA Biennial - Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA.
62st Annual Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.
37th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition - Bradley University, Peoria IL.
2018
15th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
Solo Exhibition -Beloit Art Center, Beloit, WI.
Rockford Midwestern Biennial -Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL.
61st Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI. People’s Choice Award for Manipulation Station”.
Solo Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
2017
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI. Solo Exhibition Award.
60th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition -Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI. Honorable Mention Award for “Ascension”.
2016
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
Solo Exhibition - Carbon Color and Calligraphy: Uncovering the Unconscious. Art Upstairs Gallery, Milwaukee, WI.
9th Annual Women’s Works Exhibition -Woodstock, IL.
2015
The Base Line: An Exhibition of Drawing -ARC Gallery, Chicago IL.
12th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
Annual Winter Juried Exhibition -Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha, WI.
58th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition- Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.
18th International Exhibition -Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL.
2014
11th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition -Freeport Art Museum, Freeport IL.
57th Beloit and Vicinity Exhibition- Wright Museum of Art, Beloit, WI.