About Me
I have been a full-time artist since 2003 and currently live in Oregon, a wonderful place to indulge in my love for hiking. Previously, I worked as a web designer and lived in various parts of the country. In high school I won awards both for my art (county and statewide shows) and for my science. My project at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which won two awards, was called Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbons (bacteria that eat oil). A bacteria that I found carries my initials: Pseudomonas cepacia SW3.
From very early on, my artistic family fostered my visual imagination by immersing me in a creative environment. My father (now a professional sculptor) and my mother (a painter and a scientist) taught me everything that an eager young artist needs to know, from an appreciation of contemporary art to specific brush techniques to tips on craftsmanship. Building on that solid artistic foundation balanced by a scientific approach, I have developed my own vision to the point where my current techniques are self-taught.
I create mixed-media abstract paintings in which I explore my interest in the passage of time, and the resultant inevitable changes. My fascination with old crumbling buildings and walls, where nature has started to reclaim its hold, complements this interest and also inspires much of my work.
Executing these ideas involves the application of multiple layers of texture and paint to create intricate three-dimensional surfaces. I use sanders and other power tools to smooth some surfaces, while other areas are left rough. Washes of paint are either worked into the crevices or removed, leaving barely a trace behind. All of this creates the time-weathered look that to me embodies the essence of change.
I get my best ideas for new work in that relaxing moment just before sleep, when my mind clears and allows me to see my inner vision. Once I have begun to translate my vision onto canvas, sometimes I stick to my original idea or design plan and sometimes I deviate. When the materials react and come together in unexpected ways, I may just let myself go in new directions. These happy accidents, in which I experiment and explore the process, are part of what makes art – and, in particular, work in mixed media – so exciting for me. This may be my scientific background coming through, but creating art for me is more about the discovery process, the journey I go through with every piece. The final artwork is just icing on the cake.