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My artistic journey is a process which allows me to express many levels of my life through color, texture and illusion of atmosphere on a two dimensional surface. Pushing and pulling the paint to a place of comprehensive completion is always my goal.
My palette evolves with each series. Color expresses the here and now for me. As life progresses, my color choices unfold. The work is abstract, suggestive, and always emotional. As I work the surface I simultaneously see a sense of direction, and yet I feel as if some other force is at hand and if I am open to the experience the magic will go through me. When a painting is unsuccessful, I realize that I was fighting the flow and trying to control it. When this dichotomy occurs I can play it back in my mind and see the struggle.
Oil on canvas is my medium. My tools are putty knives; smudge rags and an occasional pencil. The only brush strokes seen in my work since the eighties are in my signature, however the signature is usually scratched into the surface of the paint. Putty knives seem to be more economical and thinners are not needed so the earth gets a little break. Although my work is by no means traditional, I started painting with the basic foundation of realism. For me this was the only way to come to a place where abstraction would have depth.
I find that it is the viewer that completes the creative process. I hope you enjoy the endeavor.
1969-1971 Los Angeles City College
1976-1978 Lassen College-Susanville, Ca. AA Degree
1978-1980 California State University-Chico, Ca. BA Degree
1980-1982 California State University-Chico, Ca. MA Degree (emphasis in painting)