Chaos Below

I paint intuitively, starting with an idea of colors I want to use and a feeling. Then a memory seems to emerge and become part of the process of building layers of color and texture. This memory is based in places I’ve been, music I’ve heard or experiences I’ve had. Finding colors, textures, shapes and lines that create a harmonious world leads me as I work. Sometimes my work is abstract and sometimes landscape based. I find that acrylic paint and oil paint mixed with cold wax medium as well as encaustic, pigmented hot wax, allow me to explore my process deeply. Both involve building up layers and subtracting from them until the painting feels complete. I want my paintings to convey a rich, vibrantly colored, visual and tactile experience connected to feelings evoked by the mystery and beauty of life and the passage of time. My process involves discovery: I don't know all of what will emerge as I paint, and so, I see painting as an act of faith and a way to express and connect. I grew up in Seattle and Cleveland, and then lived in Massachusetts, New York City and Canada. For the past 50 plus years, North Carolina has been my home. I taught first and second grade in the Chapel Hill Carrboro Public Schools for many years. I live in Carrboro with my husband Steve. We have 4 grown children and 6 grandchildren. I’ve been painting for the last 20 plus years. My work has been featured in many regional group shows and has been collected nationally. I belong to the Orange County Artists Guild and participate in the Open Studio Tour each year during the first two weekends of November. I’m a working member of Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill and represented by Craven Allen Gallery in Durham.