Art Statement

From a very young age I enjoyed drawing and painting and simply loved color. Philosophical questions such as “Was the yellow/green in my Crayola box more of a yellow or more of a green? ” plagued me constantly as I looked for subtle differences. Raw umber, ocher, burnt sienna…these were the names of the colors in the expansive water color kit my family bought me. The colors they produced were fascinating. Happily, I would sit alone and make art for hours.

During my three years at the High School of Art and Design in NYC, I didn’t produce as much art as I might have, but my interest level was always high. I was absorbing a lot of information from many fronts. For example, my high school boyfriend and I purchased student memberships for the Museum of Modern Art, which was only a twenty minute walk from our school. Together we spent many hours there after school. It was there that I learned about Klee, Munch, Cezanne, Matisse, Van Gogh and Kandinsky. The museum provided me with the best art education ever.  My artist friends and I would often go down to Pearl Paint on Canal Street, and though I was still not producing art myself, it was a big thrill for me. All that I was absorbing remained dormant for years until I knew I was ready to create art. 

For thirty-five years, as I worked as an educational administrator and raised two daughters, I rarely picked up a pencil to draw. Perhaps eight pencil portraits were completed during that time.

My sister, an accomplished professional artist, generously gifted me with a slew of art supplies at the time of my retirement in 2018. These art supplies stayed mostly untouched until one day I picked up the colored pencils and began to draw. It felt as though my long-atrophied art-brain was slowly beginning to awaken.

And then: THEN!!

One and a half years ago, oil pastels were introduced to me by a high school friend. She posted several lovely drawings on Facebook. As I looked at them, it felt as if a key had turned on an art ignition in my brain! I asked her what medium she was using, and she told me. I wondered if these were like the Craypas we had used as children. Soon I was to learn that they were nothing like those Craypas. She suggested I order a set and the rest is history. Drawing with my beloved Sennelier oil pastels brings me unmitigated joy. It seems that I no longer want to draw portraits, but am captivated instead by plein air, room interiors and still lifes. Using and blending the beautiful creamy colors is both challenging and pleasurable, as I interpret that which I see before me. I can honestly say that drawing has been both a life changer and life saver throughout this pandemic. Drawing adds excitement and structure to my day.

I am delighted with the way light plays with and changes color and have been my own teacher as I develop my palette and personal style. I often feel as though I am learning to see what is in front of me for the very first time: the gleam of that copper lamp; the edge of the gilded picture frame; the purple shadow under the papery onion and the warmth and transparency of that red flower petal.
I hope you enjoy my work.