ARTIST STATEMENT

The beauty of my visual world lies in its patterns and colors. It's how I perceive my environment. Because of my low vision, many things that I see start out as abstract images before I identity them as objects. When I walk into an unfamiliar room, I look for patterns, like the horizontal bars of window blinds. The fact that they are blinds is secondary to their repeating shapes. A garden is splashes of exciting color, but I have to move in close to identify flowers and see the shapes of leaves. I try to convey those initial abstract perceptions in my art, and also represent the object.

Trees are a recurring theme that I began exploring in 1991. I was inspired by the primitive-style “Tree of Life”, by Shaker artist Hannah Cahoon, which I have always loved. Because they are so large, trees are a highly visible part of my landscape. With each new season, the tree has its own palette and, for me, endless inspiration to express my feeling of the moment, rather than to accurately depict the scene.

Many of my pictures are studies of shapes and colors. From the wealth of shapes in the natural world, I choose an object for its potential as an abstract design. I'll play with a repeated motif, varying it slightly each time.

I know my picture is successful when the colors dance before my eyes. I choose their juxtaposition carefully to achieve that kinetic quality. It is the feeling of completing a musical phrase, knowing the right balance between color and pattern.

Colors, shapes, and patterns speak to me and I delight in their voices. Through my art, I attempt to share my joy in them with other people.