ARTIST STATEMENT Life is good and creating art makes it even better! I enjoy taking photos with composition, color and values in mind. All of my paintings are created from those photos.
I primarily paint using acrylics but I do dabble in other mediums such as oil, watercolor, pastel and pencil. Recently I took a risk and stepped out of my comfort zone of super-realism to try contemporary and abstract subject matter. I used my own photos and cropped them closely to create the illusion of an abstract. It was fun but definitely not easy! All artists need to take workshops and stretch themselves in mediums or subject matter that is new and can be very rewarding.
BIO As the youngest member of the Firebird Artist Association in 1970, I began painting and selling my art work as a teenager at local in-door & outdoor exhibits in Arizona.
I am primarily self-taught with a minor in Fine Arts from Glendale Community College and a Business & Finance Degree from the University of Phoenix. My career was in finance spanning 31 years using the left side of my brain. I wondered if the right brain still worked J when I retired in 2003 and began painting again. During the past 12 years I have received over 25 awards, including Best of Show, in various art shows in Arizona. I am currently the President of the Westbrook Village Fine Arts Association in Peoria and a juried member of the Arizona Art Alliance.