Art with a Story
My interactions with nature—from examining the minutia of biological cells and seeds to experiencing the vastness of mountains and oceans—inspire the shapes, color interactions and designs that appear in my work. Each piece I create evolves like geological strata, layers building up over time, cultivating structure in the overall composition. I think of my work as research; much as Josef Albers spoke of his work, saying “All my painting is actually study. The longer I do it, the more and more it is endless.”
In this way, my work is a reflection of all that I am, all that nature is, and all the wonder that exists in our universe. But, I boil it all down to an essence of mark and form and color, leaving only trace references to nature, so the work is abstract and requires engagement, contemplation and interpretation from the viewer.
Analog, my most recent and ongoing series of mixed media and oil paintings on canvas and paper, emerged out of a need to slow down, to simply work and be, like the ancient painters on cave walls. Contemporary life is fast, and electric, and I often feel as if I have been propelled down a highway at 70 miles an hour because I have. I am the mother of two young children, and I work as an artist, art educator and entrepreneur. I am busy. This is the reality of my life, and it does not filter into my work so much as marinate me in it.
By engaging with the natural world through abstract painting, my work asks if art needs to reflect our digital society, or if it can exist outside of it, in connection with nature. What if art gave you the same experience as meditation or walking in the woods? What if art was a place to diffuse, rather than jar your senses? What if art was unapologetically feminine, beautiful and emotional?
These are the many questions I now ask as an artist existing today. This body of work comes from my own needs as a human. My work is contemporary, even if it uses slow technology, even if it is analog in a digital world. My paintings harken back to a primal, rooted part of us as human animals, a part that is still there, but buried by evolution and speed and innovation. My paintings center themselves in the human essence of existence, in our place in nature, as part of it¬ – slow, deliberate, and real.
Biography
I am an artist, art educator and entrepreneur living in the Denver Metro area of Colorado. My 20-year art career spans numerous solo and group exhibitions and inclusion in many corporate, museum and private collections throughout the United States. I hold an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute, and a BFA in Painting from the University of Denver. My work is currently represented by Serena & Lily, an interior design and lifestyle brand, and has been featured in Colorado Parent, Westword, Trouvé Magazine, Creative Women’s Co blog and Southern Living.
Additionally, I am the co-founder of artboss, a company that provides education and coaching services to creative professionals looking to build their businesses. I have an extensive background teaching art at the college and university level as well as in art education for children. I was the Winter 2019 artist-in-residence at the Children’s Museum of Denver, and am a faculty member at the Curtis Center for the Arts in Greenwood Village.
Exhibitions
2018, Chasing 360, Curtis Center for the Arts, Greenwood Village, CO
About the Artist
I am an artist, art educator and entrepreneur living in the Denver Metro area of Colorado. My 20-year art career spans numerous solo and group exhibitions and inclusion in many corporate, museum and private collections throughout the United States. I hold an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute, and a BFA in Painting from the University of Denver. My work is currently represented by Serena & Lily, an interior design and lifestyle brand, and has been featured in Colorado Parent, Westword, Trouvé Magazine, Creative Women’s Co blog and Southern Living.
Additionally, I am the co-founder of artboss, a company that provides education and coaching services to creative professionals looking to build their businesses. I have an extensive background teaching art at the college and university level as well as in art education for children. I was the Winter 2019 artist-in-residence at the Children’s Museum of Denver, and am a faculty member at the Curtis Center for the Arts in Greenwood Village.