My abstract paintings start with wax from the hives of honeybees. By mixing beeswax with oil pigments, a brilliant paste with the texture of cake frosting is created. Using squeegees, I smear this thick paste across a surface - canvas or wood - and layer color over color to create a spontaneous composition.  Then, I simply react to the new image, thus losing control of the outcome from inception.

 

The wax is soft when first applied, which encourages the imprint of textures and marks.  But, the layers dry hard - like candle wax -which allows me to gauge, scrape, and expose lines and colors previously buried.  This method gives me flexibility and frees me from my inner critic. 

 

I can create without the fear of destroying precious images or the anxiety of making mistakes.  A color, line or shape encourages me to react to what is before me and simply explore what comes next.  

 

I've worked in several different aspects of the art field.  I spent a decade as an Art Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, NY, working on television and print campaigns.  For over two decades, I was a Production Manager at The Metropolitan Museum of Art producing art books accompanying the special exhibitions.

 

As a painter, I'm largely self-taught.  I apprenticed with several master painters in Washington DC to learn classical methods of painting and drawing.  I've taken many classes in New York and Washington DC - the Art Students League, the Corcoran School of Art, and the School of Visual Art. But, I believe the most important education I've had was the result of absorbing lessons from the master paintings at the MET over a long period of time.

 

I hold a BA in Art History and Psychology (double major) from the University of Virginia, Charlelottesville, VA.  I have an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, NY.