Swimming has always been my favorite sport and painting water in watercolor is my latest obsession.

What in a face makes it similar or unique?  I am drawn to portraiture because of the infinite amount of subjects to depict.  Two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, are combined to create billions and billions of permutations of one theme, a face.  In a split second, those same structures can morph to express thousands of different emotions. Here are several of the characters that I have encountered in my life.

I am usually inspired to draw or paint people or scenes that contain people. This group of paintings is of places that were interesting to me with little or no human element.  Peaceful, serene, quiet, erie or desolate, each of these locations had a personality or mood that was clear to me.   

I selected the color palette for each painting to convey to the viewer the same feeling that I had when looking at each location.

I love portraiture.  In my larger more developed paintings, I like to include elements that I hope will contribute a suggestion of a back story.  My goal for these paintings is to suggest an insight into the subject’s personality, depict a snapshot of their daily routine, or capture their mood.

In familiar surroundings people are relaxed and unguarded.  When not posed for the camera, they can be themselves. If the subject is in the act of doing something that can only be caught in that specific moment in time, it makes the painting process even more interesting to me.    

Animals are very capable of showing emotion and I love them as subjects of paintings for this reason.  Dogs in particular have distinct personalities which I enjoy trying to capture. As I described in the portrait section... two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, are combined to create billions and billions of permutations of one theme, a face...only these faces are extra furry.

The following images were drawn during open studio modeling sessions.  The poses lasted between 30 minutes and 3 hours and were done with either pastel, Conte, or charcoal on Mi-Teintes Paper.

My philosophy is that if you can draw the figure, you can draw pretty much anything.

The images in this project are of the finished paintings from my watercolor and drawing class demonstrations with a few collages thrown in.  I arranged and photographed each still life with a specific painting technique or focus in mind. In the classes, I talk about what to look for before starting to paint.  I think careful observation is 90% of art.  The collages are a new artistic path that I have been exploring.

I want a big reveal in life.  I am always hoping that there will be just a little more.  When I create wearable art, I try to incorporate that “little more” in my designs.  I want the viewer to look at a little closer, to see the small details or maybe find something humorous within.  

Building unexpected movement or functionality into a piece is irresistible to me.  Coming up with a concept, envisioning how the piece will move, and sourcing suitable materials is only the beginning.  To me, working through the trial and error of making the piece functional is the really exciting part.

I try to start building from the supplies already in my studio, leftover materials from earlier projects, recyclables, and found objects.  I have repurposed bridesmaids dresses, costumes, building and plumbing supplies, kids toys, maps, books, and fabric/trim remnants. I add new materials to fill the gaps.

All of the figures in this project are approximately 18 inches in height and are handcrafted from polymer clay, wire, lace, and upcycled fabrics, beads, and various assorted bling.  The heads, facial features, and hair styles are sculpted from polymer clay and attached to handsewn fabric stuffed bodies. Individually designed and hand sewn clothes, as well as sculpted polymer clay purses and shoes are then added to complete the unique look and personality of each figure.