Growing up in northern New Jersey, I always had lived in close proximity to New York and its museums. I have always been fascinated by art since I was a child. Painting, in particular, has always interested me. It has always amazed me how the texture and color of paint could create a realistic likeness as well as various effects and emotional impact, due to color, composition, brush strokes, texture, layers, etc. No matter what jobs or projects I was involved in while growing up and progressing through my career, I always came back to oil painting and knew that I was meant to be a painter, in some form or another.


While a teenager I moved to upstate New York, which provided quite a different landscape from suburban NJ. I learned to appreciate both city and country and what each had to offer.

I attended college in Pennsylvania, which provided yet another environment to appreciate and develop my art skills. I studied art, with a concentration in painting, while studying other fields, such as graphic art and liberal arts.

I have always been interested in travel, which probably began when I took a couple memorable trips across the country as a young child. A trip to rural Montana was quite a shock for a young Jersey girl! As an adult, I have taken other cross-country trips exploring our own beautiful USA, but have also expanded my journeys to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and New Zealand. These travels have impacted my life, the way I see the world, and of course, my art. The value of these travels cannot be underestimated and will always be among my favorite memories, particularly the times spent with family and friends, new and old, while on these journeys. My paintings have been inspired by these sights and sounds, as well as by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Joaquin Sorolla.


About a decade ago, I made a move to start anew in yet another state, the lovely commonwealth of Virginia. I have continued progressing in my graphic design, web design, photography and art fields. The Tidewater region of Virginia provides much artistic inspiration for me, in addition to my travels abroad.

 

 

 

 

 

Artist’s Statement

I love traveling, both to local destinations, as well as to other countries. To me, travel is not necessarily a matter of crossing long distances, but more of a state of mind, or a way of looking at the world and rejoicing in new experiences. Each painting I create comes from a moment when I am struck by the uniqueness of the scene before me. Light may hit the subject in an amazing way, I may experience a unique musical performance, or I may simply be awed by the beauty of what I am seeing. When such a moment strikes, I strive to capture it. I particularly love a picture where a viewer might look at the scene and wonder “How did the artist get there and see that?” I have been particularly inspired by my travels throughout Europe, New Zealand, and, most recently, in my new home of Isle of Wight County, Virginia.

I enjoy painting portraits, landscapes, water scenes, and still life; I am particularly intrigued by painting light and reflections, especially water and glass, as well as various textures and skin tones.

My paintings have been "built up" with many layers of paint, including a value underpainting, as well as color glazes, to build a greater depth and complexity. This technique seems to work especially well for skin tones and water.

I am originally from the New York area, but now reside in Carrollton, Virginia. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art and have been working in art-related fields ever since, particularly oil painting, web design, and graphic design.