Artist Statement

Medium: Watercolor Painting

My Southern California roots inspire the bold saturated color of my watercolor paintings. While I seek to evoke my feelings of “nouns” (persons, places, and things), I do not try to recreate, but to record how the subjects’ color touches me. Using yellow-based pigment to begin my painting, I try to convey a warm sunny glow throughout. I am more interested in happy feelings than in a somber, moody piece. Excitement describes my initial beginning and I try to continue that energy throughout the painting. I do not rely on spatial interpretations to define my pictures, but rather use color and line to move the eye around my composition. Included in my treatments are details put in as loosely and simply as possible. I am intrigued with buildings, as owners think of them as their “babies”. I interpret them as building portraits. I do love the beach as I grew up seeing people on the beach and in the water. It renews in me the whimsical, colorful side of us. I would like to invite the viewer to come inside my paintings and take a look around instead of standing outside observing from a distance.

Bio

I was born in Long Beach and grew up in Downey, California where I was encouraged in art by a friend of my mothers. I started drawing pastel portraits at age 10. Throughout school I took art classes, having my first one man show in high school. I went to Long Beach State College, California as an Art major. During the same time period, I attended Cerritos College as a pre-med and Art major. I then went to the University of Southern California and received a B.S. degree in Dental Hygiene.

After getting married and having two children, I still painted part time, took workshops and entered juried shows. After we moved to Utah in 1995 and my children graduated from college, I earnestly started painting.

Resume

Art Education

Long Beach State College, California (3 years)
Cerritos College, California (3 years)

Recent Juried Shows and Awards

Park City Arts Festival 2005
Recognized by Ogden Symphony Ballet as Women in the Arts 2005
One Man show at Grounds for Coffee in Historic 25th Street Ogden, Utah 2005
Utah Watercolor Society: Juror's Award 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Ogden Arts Festival 1st Commemorative Arts Festival Poster 2004
Hogle Zoo 2003, 2006 & Traveling Exhibit 2004
Ogden Harvest Moon Celebration (Salt Lake Magazine) 2003
Ogden Celebrate the Arts; Plein Air Competition 2nd Place 2005
Ogden Junior League Cook Book “The Art Of Cooking” 2003
Eccles Statewide Competition 2003, 2002, 2001; Award of Merit 2002
Eccles Printmaking Competition 1999
Palette Club Invitational; 1st Place 2002 & 2004
Bountiful Davis Art Center Statewide Competition 2002
Provo Heritage Show 2002
Deseret News Landscape Show 2001, 2005
Cover of Junction Magazine, August 2001
Le Conte Stewart Landscape Competition 2000 - 2003
Utah Watercolor Society Cache Valley; 1st Place 1999
Provo Freedom Festival 1998

Represented By

Pintura Gallery; Scottsdale, AZ