My recent work began with the desire to continue to paint with oils, but without solvent, toxic paints or unsustainable materials. This soon evolved into also finding my own earth pigments; incorporating ashes from our wood stove; adding creek sand, marble dust and granite dust into the paints; using local walnut oils and exploring sustainable surfaces. This then lead me into a deeper connection with our natural world as I left the studio and made a connection with these materials. These organic materials and the nature inspired images in my paintings evoke an aliveness and interconnectedness because they ARE alive and encapsulate the cycle of life within them.
My painting process can be summed up by the word “play”. Coming from my former life as a professional ballet and modern dancer, I always return to my body while I paint, sticking to the present moment of the experience. I follow my breath through every muscle in my body as I swish the charcoal and swipe with a paint brush. Playing with paint feels like an intricate dance of guided chance. Sometimes the dance glides along with ease; sometimes it whirls me around through time and space with breathless exhilaration; and sometimes the dance feels awkward and forced, and the rhythm is hard to hear. But I remember to hold compassion for myself and trust in the natural rhythms of the universe to re-remember that this creative process is a divine mystery. Explorers don’t know what they will find; that’s the fun. My painting explorations are not representations of any grail or goal. If anything, they exist as inspiration for you to explore your own inner space, not to find something, but simply to enjoy the travels. I thrive on these “travels” and continue dancing with the canvas—talking, listening, & moving with it in a natural evolution.