"I always start my paintings with the reckless belief that something wonderful can happen."
Read more: Proceeds of the sale of this painting will be donated to Captain Paul Watson Foundation, who has dedicated his life to conservation of the oceans and especially to ending the slaughter of whales. He was recently released from custody (4 months) in Greenland (governed by Denmark) because of a Japanese warrant for his arrest. His extradition to Japan most surely would have resulted in severe punishment as Captain Watson's ships (Whale Wars) thwarted the efforts of the Japanese whaling vessels who in spite of an international ban, continue to hunt whales for "research."
About Me
All of my aRt involves a sense of movement in some form. Drawn to the beach as a child and stationed near the ocean during 24 years in the Navy; I choose to always live near the sea.
I need to see a sense of motion in my designs. My paintings are the inspiration for some of my fabric compositions and most all portray ebb and flow. I move the brush with bold, sweeping gestures across a canvas. Some of those images are then transferred to fabric or paper. Some compositions are squished, folded and layered onto a canvas; some fabrics are draped on to a canvas. The textures create shadows and color palettes in motion.
Academia taught me to train my eye but my canvases eventually veered to abstraction. I enjoyed the freedom to “disobey authority” and trusted my own instincts. The freedom to self-express after the intense experience in the military turned my paintings bold and full of movement. My abstract paintings make beautiful fabric designs.
Few paintings are complete in an afternoon; yet some of my most successful pieces were completed in a day or two. Most designs now develop after months (or years) of layering over “unsuccessful” pieces. I always start my paintings with the reckless belief that something wonderful can happen. If it doesn’t work, I go back to it later…sometimes two or ten more times.
b. 1953 Youngstown, Ohio.
Served in U.S. Navy 1976 – 2000. With generous in-service education benefits, I earned B.S. (University of New York Regents - 1981) and M.A. Ed. (George Washington University - 1991) degrees while on active duty. After leaving the service, I used G.I. Bill benefits and earned a second undergraduate (B.F.A.) degree at Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA (2010). Studied with Charles Kello and Norman Goodwin, Norfolk, VA (2008- 2012).