|
928 Orange Avenue Coronado, CA 92118 |
|
|---|
Artist's Biography |
I am often asked what my style of painting is called. I employ impressionist techniques, expressionist color and a sense of emotion that colors the reality of the moment. My purpose is to capture a sense of magic about reality by describing the color and drama of a story in the same way as a fairy tale. I want my pictures to transcend the reality of description and instead create archetypal symbols of the beauty of an examined moment. I call my style Magic Realism.
I enjoy working in a series. I go to a place, take photos, paint on location, and write thoughts and words about how the place “feels” to me. Each new subject requires me to re-evaluate the way I apply the paint to the surface, and which medium I should use. I try and combine the best of studio painting and plein air, by using the complex color nuances of nature as well as the heightened color that comes by painting from memory. I am driven to enhance the color of the scene in order to express my emotional memories of the moment. I am drawn to images of fleeting moments, the patterns and textures of light, the illumination of objects. Something about a scene I choose to paint is at once compelling to me and part of an everyday encounter.
My foremost interest in painting is the effective use of color in creating emotional and visual depth. When people look at my paintings, I think the first thing they notice is the vibrant color. I’m not even sure I see color in the same way as everyone else. Does everyone perceive the world in terms of the language of color? It’s a wonderful paradox to ponder - what color do you “see”, what color do I “see”, what color is “real”?
I was born in Washington, DC. and educated at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC, I received a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. I have exhibited my paintings in galleries in Virginia and California, and my paintings are in many private collections. I teach classes and workshops in Santa Fe, NM, Pasadena, CA, at the Golden Door, Escondido, CA and at my studio in Escondido, CA.