Statement
Brice Marden once said that he didn't know what his imagery was exactly, but that
it reminded him of something familiar. We artists
are lucky when we can find what's truly familiar to us.
My work probes the sensual, magical and surreal in experienced
nature and that which resides behind the veil. A marked use of color and texture combined with anthropormorphized organic shapes
helps bring to life what is for me, a visual representation of the seen unseen. Movement, relationships, beauty and joy reside there.
I can feel color. If I see a box of crayons or a red and green color combination,
say in a piece of fabric, I get viscerally excited. I often
see color compositions in my third eye, mostly when meditating or falling asleep. If I ask to be shown my next painting, I'm presented subliminally with colors but rarely an actual
composition. I may see
cut shapes, like Colorforms, or I'll see a color wash. The dots, circles
or elipses are always there.
When I work, my hand automatically wants to scribble dashes and ovals, so I often start new work that way. I spend a lot of time getting the marks, textures and colors just right. I obviuosly enjoy contrast which is why I use so much black. My color combinations can be
well, colorful, or
monochromatic. I like a matte texture in paint
so I mix my own and use natural pigments, milk and clay to combat
the plasticity of the acrylic. I often design compositions so they
can be visually entered from the
left or right. Texture, dots or energy waves serve to tie everything together.
Lately I've been doing more collage. I like how 3D they are, plus I
like to use scissors to cut
shapes. I just grab different painted papers
or shapes and shuffle them around a background until there's a strong composition. I reckon it's real life Colorforms for adults.
I try not to think when I'm working. When I reach an impasse or if
the work isn't awake yet, I leave it. Sometimes I destroy it and try
again to extract a true essence. I just know when the work is true and
I keep going until it arrives.
Bewilderment, fear and frustration are unavoidable as I strive to drag a beautiful, original and magical image
into the world while simultaneously removing myself from the
birthing process. It makes for an interesting and fun dance.
I tend to do what I was told not to do by other artists: avoid using blacks, dark
browns, floating objects, arbitrary horizon lines and allusions to sex organs. (Ask Georgia O'Keefe about the sex organs!)
I constantly look at and read about all types of art, not rejecting any genres because I realize they each have something to teach. I also
closely study natural shapes and environments.
I had a life-changing experience in 2022. Bob Thompson, an African-American
artist then dead for 56 years, figuratively gave me the hat
he had depicted in several pieces that were part of an unforgettable
show of his at Colby College. Bob's (repeated or inverted) hat shape
has since appeared in my works as integral landscape or sexual elements.
Thompson's fearless vibrancy, along with that of many artists throughout history
whom I admire, encourages me to be bold and
helps sustain my practice. I strive always to imbue my art with great
beauty and some sort of magic. I hope it speaks.
Art Biography
Born - New Jersey
Grants/Awards/Residencies
1992, 1987, 1985 – Selected for residency during Vermont Artists’ Week,
The Vermont Studio School, Johnson, Vermont
1991 - Vermont Council on the Arts, Fellowship Awards Finalist
Montpelier, Vermont
(One of the old National Endowment for the Arts-backed Individual
Grants to Artists Awards)
1977 – Nominated for College Honors in Photography, University of Vermont Art
Department, Burlington, Vermont
Selected Exhibition Record
I am not able to reproduce a complete copy of my art resume; following is a short list of all that can be
reliably reconstructed.
01/23 Juried Group Exhibition - Red
Cambridge Art Association
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Juror: Dina Deitsch, Director & Chief Curator, Tufts University Art Gallery
06/22 Members' Open
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill
Truro, Massachusetts
06/21 Members' Open
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill
Truro, Massachusetts
11/17 - 1/18 Members’ Open: Small Works
Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM)
Provincetown, Massachusetts
2017 Summer Member’s Show at Cambridge Art Association, “SCAPES”
CAA University Place Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2001 Juried Group Exhibition – 21st Annual Faber Birren National Color Award
Show
Stamford Art Association Townhouse Gallery, Stamford, Connecticut
1990 Solo Exhibition - Saint Michael’s College Art Gallery
Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont
1989 Solo Exhibition - Francis Colburn Gallery
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
1981 Juried Group Exhibition - The Monumental Show
Gowanus Memorial Art Yard, Brooklyn, New York
(curated by Frank Shifreen, Michael Keene and George Moore)
1980? - About a year or so before the Gowanus Show in 1981 I had a Solo
Exhibition at the Salon de Refuses at the Westbeth Artists Space in
New York City, curated by Michael Keene. I can no longer identify the
exact date.
1986 to 1991 - Adjunct Professor of Art, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester,
Vermont; Taught painting, 2D design, and some art history
Selected Education
2014 State of Massachusetts Reading Specialist Licensure,
Collaborative for Educational Services/Fitchburg State,
Fitchburg,
Massachusetts
2006 Wilson Reading System Teacher Training,
Wilson Reading Academy, Oxford, Massachusetts
2006 Masters of Education, Special Education/Moderate Disabilities
(5-12),
Cambridge College, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1977 BA, Double Major in English and Studio Art with a History minor,
The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 1976-1977
1973-1975
College studies with a concentration in Studio Art and History,
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York