I'm a visual artist who creates mixed media abstract paintings and collage. Trained as a painter, art therapist, reiki practitioner and psychiatric nurse, my work and process lies in the space between art and art therapy. I describe it as intuitive with controlled spontaneity; using the creative process to understand, feel, and communicate my experiences, most often exploring themes of change, life, death, loss and conflict.
I work on raw canvas, plaster, paper and found objects using acrylic paint, ink, watercolor, oil pastel, charcoal and pencil while manipulating the surface with restraints such as wire, string, tape, jars, wood, medical supplies, and common household objects.
It is a process of play and ritual, creating boundaries and allowing them to be obstructed or intruded upon, to reveal or conceal tactile shapes and layers. Continuously moving the ink or paint with water to intentional barriers created, this staining and “washing” on the surface is on a very elementary level, repeatedly controlling and releasing. I like to make a mess and oscillate from the restraint to open space . Within the process I capture and reveal the element of discovery, which ultimately drives my work.
The end gestalt created is a reflection of my therapeutic space, where my art and therapeutic use of art, come together.
Current:
My works on raw canvas, past and present, were originally inspired by the silhouette imagery of trees as they change each season through the backdrop of the sky. This current series is an awaking for me, returning to large pieces of raw canvas, basic, simple materials, working outdoors and simply trusting the process.
16x16: I usually paint on large pieces of raw canvas but the packs of unused handkerchiefs I had found and saved after my father’s 2016 death would be the surface for small explorations during the pandemic.
Plaster: The plaster works originate from a love of using and exploring the creative uses for medical supplies and using them to create a tactile, visceral compositions, using ink, gauze, various glues, and medical supplies, including plaster strips, syringes, toilet paper, and tissue paper.
Collage: My collages are usually reactions to situations or interactions with other human beings. Those beings remain anonymous.