About
I am a Chicago-based abstract painter and creative entrepreneur.
Artist Statement
I am a Chicago-based abstract painter and creative entrepreneur. I am self-taught and have been creating art for over thirty years in several mediums.
Mark-making, color, shape, texture, and form are the elements in my work. Inspiration for my paintings comes from music, movement, human emotion, and nature. The contrast of paint, thick and thin markings, represents changes one experiences in life.
Without words or representation, I am interested in what emotions or energy the audience experiences while viewing the work. Overall, I attempt to give visual expression to this energy and inner consciousness of humanity.
About
I am a Chicago-based abstract painter and creative entrepreneur.
Artist Statement
I am a Chicago-based abstract painter and creative entrepreneur. I am self-taught and have been creating art for over thirty years in several mediums.
Mark-making, color, shape, texture, and form are the elements in my work. Inspiration for my paintings comes from music, movement, human emotion, and nature. The contrast of paint, thick and thin markings, represents changes one experiences in life.
Without words or representation, I am interested in what emotions or energy the audience experiences while viewing the work. Overall, I attempt to give visual expression to this energy and inner consciousness of humanity.
Origin Story
I am an artist.
It is my calling and my purpose.
It is through artistic expression that I am alive.
Growing up I realized that everyone in my family was an artist in some way, shape, or form. Whether it was singing, dancing, writing, or yes, painting. As talented as we all were, the arts were never encouraged as a profession. My older brother was the most naturally talented artist I ever knew; and while [drawing and painting] was clearly his calling, he was never able to pursue it. This creative restriction caused him many problems. And while they were able to stop the art, they could not stop the expression which found one, although in a destructive way. I have never forgotten that cause and effect.
After college I studied visual merchandising and worked at Marshall Fields, completing some of their most famous holiday displays. Our design ideas had to be presented in watercolor and it was through this process that I discovered my love for art making. After the experience at Marshall Field’s, I began to immerse myself in painting. I tried painting figuratively, but I was not particularly good at it. However, I was good at design and composition. So went deeper into this experience and eventually joined an artist’s collective in Hyde Park. This turned out to be my springboard. [This was the first time that I felt seen as an artist. I was encouraged to pull more out of myself and calling out my artistic voice.]
My mission is to live and work a creative life, always evolving as an artist.
Although I never imagined I would be a “professional” artist, painting brought something in me to life. That feeling sparked the recognition that I would find my truest voice through painting and help other people to do the same.
