Artist Statement

Sensing and perceiving fascinate me. Our senses flood us with information (sensing), but it is only when our brains perceive this information, sorting and making sense of it, that we understand our worlds. As an artist, I explore the many different ways that I can shift how I perceive the world by directing my attention, and representing what I perceive in different ways for others to understand.

In my realistic work, I play tricks with the materials to fool the eye into believing a convincing illusion. In plein air painting and in sculpture, I edit what I see to its basics of shape, light, and color or form, in such a way as to (hopefully) encourage the viewer to fill in the gaps while still appreciating the surface work of the art object. In my abstract work, I create layered worlds that are experiences in themselves. In my symbolic work, I use imagery as a shortcut to speak directly to my own and others' associations to make meaning and tell stories, or use juxtaposition to encourage new associations and ideas.

By playing with differing degrees of all of these perceptual filters through my different bodies of work, I come to better understand not only how I engage with the world, but also to empathize with the diversity of perception in all of us. I am constantly amazed by the different ways that humans understand and engage with the world, and just as amazed by our ability to understand one another despite these differences.

Biography

I graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture, then moved to Loveland, Colorado to work at a bronze foundry and pursue my art career.

A few years later, I discovered I also had a passion for teaching, and earned my licensure for K-12 art instruction and my Masters in Teaching at the University of Northern Colorado. While teaching full time, I continued to show and sell my work, expanding beyond sculpture to painting and mixed media, as well as playing around with other media.

I took a few years off from art production and sales while completing my Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Denver, where I also served as an adjunct professor. (If you are interested, my dissertation on the underachievement of creative students can be found at https://digitalcommons.du.edu/tls_doctoral/10/ ) With my degree complete, I have returned to art with a passion, and am once again participating in shows across the region.

I currently live in Fort Collins, Colorado, with my husband and three cats.