Painting for me is like an excavation. My intention is to discover what is underneath the obvious. I apply paint and sometimes dirt, dry pigment, ink, crayon, pencil, and whatever is in my reach with my hands, fingernails, sticks, and - oh yes - brushes.  I wipe with rags and rub with sponges.  At some point, I enter the zone where I have no conscious thought or memory of the marks I make. My breathing changes and my work begins to feel authentic.

My shapes and colors come from nature, however, the excavation comes from a desire to find what is behind those forms - the spirit or essence of the composition.  It is here that the painting becomes authentic and connects with the viewer.

This drive to excavate has roots in my childhood. As a girl, I loved to crayon in brilliant colors, cover it with black crayon and then make marks with a sharp instrument to reveal the color beneath. The reveal was always a surprise and so much fun to do.

I grew up in New York and Ohio with strong family roots in the Midwest.  As a girl I was free to roam in the nearby woods and creeks building forts and playing with my pals. My parents sent me to art classes at the Cincinnati Art Museum in the summer.  As an adult I moved to the San Francisco Bay area where I attended law school, worked, married and became the parent of a wonderful son.

Thanks to nudging from a close friend I became re-involved with drawing and painting in the early 90’s and had the good fortune of studying with the master painter Leigh Hyams for 20 years.  Her influence cannot be overstated and I am ever grateful for the experience.  She encouraged and gave me permission to paint from my gut which is what I always strive to do – otherwise why bother?!

I studied with Leigh in San Francisco, San Miguel de Allende Mexico, Avignon France and Calistoga California from 1993 through 2013.  During that time and since I have exhibited my paintings at the following venues:

UC extension, San Francisco 1995, 1996
Marin County Arts Council, 1999, 2000, 2001
Mona lease Gallery, Greenbrae, ca 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Oakopolis Creativity Center, Oakland, Ca fall 2011
Falkirk national juried spring exhibit, San Rafael, Ca spring 2014
Falkirk national juried fall exhibit, San Rafael, Ca fall 2014
Transitions show, Marin Community Center juried show, winter 2015
ube art gallery national juried show, Berkeley, Ca fall 2016
San Geronimo Community Center group show, winter 2017
Downtown Art Works national juried show, San Rafael Ca, jan-feb 2018
Falkirk national juried spring show, San Rafael, Ca spring 2018
Santa Rosa museum online firewall show, winter 2018
Sofie Contemporary Art juried spring show, Calistoga,Ca spring 2018
San Geronimo Community Center group show, August, September 2018.
Fritz Gallery Group Show, Santa Fe, April 2019.
Marin County Fair juried exhibit, July 2019.