Q: When you were growing up, did you want to be an artist?

A: Yes, I knew from an early age that I wanted to be an artist. I come from a large, creative family, and making art of any kind was encouraged. My mom did painting, sculpture and ceramics — not professionally, just for fun. There was a big art studio in our basement, where we could make things. 

I have a memory from kindergarten, when we were making butterflies out of construction paper. The teacher praised me for being the only student who included a body, not just the wings. At five years old, I thought, “This is fantastic!” From childhood until today, observing nature has been an important part of my life.

Q: What inspires your work?

A: A love of nature certainly informs my work: walking in the woods, gardening, raising butterflies, exploring parks, just being outside and observing the wonder of it of all. I think a lot about humankind’s negative impact on the planet, and I believe it is misguided to think that people are somehow superior to other living things. I’m avid birder and I volunteer as a Master Naturalist. So, a lot of things that I see outdoors influence my process in the studio. I would say that humankind’s relationship to the natural world is a central theme in my work.

My human models are usually relatives of mine. I paint what and who I love. When I paint people, I try to convey a universality. Those are not portraits. I try to make the figure vague and non-specific, so the viewer can step into the figure’s inner world and feel close to the subject. 

When I paint an animal, however, it’s different. My animals often are staring at the viewer. I think of those paintings as portraits of specific, individual animals.

Q: Your paintings incorporate a great deal of textures and patterns. How did that style come about?

A: I developed my style, in part, during a bad bout with creative block. I was feeling uninspired in the studio, while working a day job as a decorative painter. I was working on a big stenciling project in a private home, and that got me thinking about patterns. At the time, I was working on paper, and I wanted to stencil a pattern on my paper simply as a point of departure.

I discovered that I really liked what the pattern did to the space my figures inhabited. That led to exploring with lace to get a pattern in the surface of a painting. And that technique required a switch to wood panel. I fell in love with the process, the patterns, and the physicality of the surface.

There is an unpredictable aspect to the process, and I find that intriguing. The surface of the panel becomes dimensional, and the texture of pattern influences how the viewer perceives the space. Also, the figure is somewhat veiled, which adds to the ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere I’m striving for. In some paintings, the lace pattern can symbolize the unseen force that I believe connects us all.

Q: Who are your some of your artistic influences?

A: I love Édouard Vuillard’s paintings, and his prints, too. He used pattern to flatten space in an elegant way. And I love the ambiguity of his figures. Eugène Carrière is another big influence. His works have an incredible sense of mood. 

Some other artists that come to mind are Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Käthe Kollwitz and Georgia O’Keeffe, more because they are so inspiring to me, as opposed to directly influencing my aesthetic.

My favorite living artist is Nicolas Africano. I love his muted colors and powerful figures, in his paintings, drawings and cast glass sculpture. He has been a big influence for me.

Q: You studied art in school. How did that coursework influence your techniques or aesthetics?

A: I was trained as a printmaker before I discovered painting, so I tend to work reductively. I limit the palette. I’m drawn to the monochromatic, which feels right to me. That’s one of the reasons I have such an affinity for Carrière’s work. When I’m painting, I’m always thinking about what I need to remove. The goal is to eliminate anything that is unnecessary for conveying the message.

Q: Do you like listening to music or audiobooks when you paint?

A: I’m into podcasts, but I like to listen to music, too. It depends on what stage I’m in, process-wise. When I’m deep into a painting, I can’t focus on a podcast, so then it’s music or silence. Sometimes silence is best.

Q: Is there anything a viewer should know that would give them a better understanding of your work? Also, what do you want viewers to get from your work?

A: When someone looks at a painting, I simply want them to bring their own history to it and react. If they can relate to it somehow, or if it triggers a memory or a feeling, I love hearing about that. Those reactions comfort me. 

There’s a feeling you have when you wake up and you’re trying to recall a dream you had — some of my favorite painters are able to create work that conjures that feeling.

Q: Your work feels very peaceful and meditative. Is the process of making the work also meditative?

A: Not always. It can be a real struggle sometimes! But that’s just a part of the process. I work on multiple pieces at a time, so if one is giving me trouble, I’ll put it away for a bit and then look at it later with fresh eyes. That always helps. But overall, yes, making my work feels meditative and soothing. I feel fortunate and incredibly grateful to be able to do what I love.

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