I feel that landscape paintings are subject to a wide range of interpretations, especially those that simply present the subject without attaching a popular interpretation.
Talking to people about my own work, I have found that they often read a great deal of meaning into my landscapes, meaning sometimes beyond, sometimes even in direct opposition to my own opinions or feelings.
No landscape is ever empty, even the most desolate. The more time I spend in the wilderness, the more I realize its subtle effects on feelings which evolve with every visit, place, and season. I am captured by the paradox of strength and delicacy, and opposition of color found in every ordinary event. Nature dictates my style, mood, medium, and composition, and my paintings reflect this diversity.
I challenge the popular tendency to minimalize. The greatest respect due to nature is through representation in an elaborate and personal style because it is the result of a “felt” experience. Many of my plein air experiences result in endlessly hauling heavy loads of art supplies throughout the landscape. The hard work is small sacrifice to what I’ve gained with observing. Luckily however, in some moments and some places I finally am able to express something about the place, something about my feeling for it, and something that others can themselves appreciate and transform into their own experience.
Education
BSN, St. Anselm’s College Certificate Program, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Awards
- Samuel Davidson Memorial Prize for Cast Drawing, 1994
- Louis Fine Purchase Prize, 1995
- Morris Blackburn Prize for Best Landscape, 1995
- Historic Yellow Springs Prize, 1995 (Honorable Mention)
- Second Place (Oils): 28th Art Competition, Cheyenne Artist’s Guild, 1997
- Third Place (Other Media): 28th Art Competition, Cheyenne Artist’s Guild, 1997
- First Place (Painting): Art Ice Fest, Artists Guild of Ouray, 1998
- First Place (Pastels): National Greeley 35th Annual Art Exhibition, 1998
- Best in Show: 70th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibit, Colorado Artists Guild, 1998
- First Place (Oils): 70th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibit, Colorado Artists Guild, 1998
- Award of Excellence: 70th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibit, Colorado Artists Guild, 1998
- Colorado Artists Guild Award: Artists of Colorado IV, Colorado Artists Guild, 1999
- Best of Show: Regional Exhibition, Thompson Valley Art Guild, 2000
- Third Place: Colorado Art Guild Annual Show, 2000
Juried Exhibitions
- Spring, Summer, Fall Student Art Shows, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, 1993,1994
- 96th Annual Exhibition of the Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA, 1993
- Lost Dreams on Canvas, Traveling National Exhibition 28th Art Competition, Cheyenne Artist’s Guild, Cheyenne, WY, 1997
- Colorado Art Open, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, 1997
- 1997 National Pastel Painting Exhibition, Pastel Society of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 1997
- Art Ice Fest, Artists Guild of Ouray, Ouray, CO, 1998
- National Greeley 30th Annual Art Exhibition, Greeley, CO, 1998
- 70th Anniversary Celebration and Exhibit, Colorado Artists Guild, Denver, CO, 1998
- Artists of Colorado, Colorado Artists Guild, Denver, CO, 1999, 2000
Gallery Exhibitions
- Levering Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Spring, Summer, Fall 1996
- Cafe on the Platte, one-man show, Denver, CO, Spring 1997
- Mt. Vernon Country Club (Denver Art Guild), Summer 1997
- St. Mark’s Coffeehouse, one-man show, Denver, CO, Winter 1997
- Aurora Fox Theatre, one-man show, Aurora, CO, Winter 1998 Metropoint (McGrath & Braun), one-man show, Denver, CO, Winter 1998
- Ongoing group shows with Lincoln Gallery, Loveland, Colorado
Representation
- McGrath & Braun Corporate Art Consultants, Denver, CO
- Gallery of the Master, Loveland, CO
- Desurmont Art Gallery, Taos, NM
Corporate Collections
- American College of Podiatry
- R.R. Donnelley & Sons
- Great-West Life Assurance Co.
Juried Member of the Colorado Artists Guild, Thompson Valley Art Guild and Gallery, National Association of Woman Artists (former member)