Artist Statement and Biographical Sketch

I focus on the essence of things. I like to bring to light or unveil a core, a solitary moment, a whisper or the nitty gritty of a subject or scene. I explore the space between the wonders of the perceptible world and an inner world found in dreams, visions, experiences, and in the working process itself.  Most of my paintings are abstract, non-representational, and non-linear artworks. These works create imaginary places and beings within the art object.

Currently I am creating artwork based on the bones and vertebrae of the spine. The spine is a curiously wonderful structure.  The series of bones in the spine overlap and form amazingly beautiful shapes.  The symbol of the spine connotes strength and support. I like thinking about how we are all connected in some way. We all were young once. We all get older together. The body seems to be the locus of this connection. The spine is the symbol for this connection.
           
I was originally educated as a secondary school teacher more than 30 years ago. In the 1990's, I decided to go to art school and, I did, earning a B.F.A. in painting cum laude from the Maine College of Art in Portland. While at the Maine College of Art, I studied under Ed Douglas, Alice Lyons, Honour Mack, and Johnnie Ross.

After graduation, I co-founded the 108 High Street Gallery, an artist co-operative in Portland, Maine. I have also participated in more than 25 exhibitions in New Mexico, Maine, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and have received several awards including the Nancy Stewart Deming Endowed Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Painting and was selected as the Maine College of Art's Nominee for Yale's Norfolk Summer Program. I use my art to further my philanthropic interests and have contributed my work to cultural and educational organizations such as the Northfield Arts Guild and Carlton College in Northfield, Minnesota; Maine College of Art in Portland, and the Minneapolis Children's Theatre in Minnesota. In the spring of 2005, I opened Gallery 408 and the Studios on Twelfth Street, an art center in a collection of historical buildings in Carrizozo, New Mexico near my winter home.