About the Artist

"To my mind a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty, yes pretty!  There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is, without creating still more of them."

 -- Pierre-Auguste Renoir  (1841-1919)

 

Biography

Born in Ohio and raised in a small town in rural western Pennsylvania, I have been drawing and oil painting since I was in grammar school. I worked in residential real estate sales for many years while fine tuning my art skills and exhibiting in art shows. I am a graduate of Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA, with a degree in Business Management and studied for several years at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH, and received a Certificate of Fine Art in Painting through their Adult Education Program. At CIA I was fortunate to have studied under the direction of several esteemed artists:  Alexander Pogrebinsky, Nancy Bunch Sheridan, Elinore Kirow, Mark Krieger, A. D. Peters, Jennifer Omaitz and Susan Danko to name a few. I have attended several workshops and art center classes.

 

Artist Statement

The street where I grew up in Bessemer, Pennsylvania was at the foot of the cement plant. A fine, grey-white dust coated the landscape, covering the grass, trees, houses, and cars. Sulfur dioxide spewed from the smokestacks, leaving the smell of rotten eggs hanging in the air. Our only relief came with the rain.  Everything was bathed — washed free! The charged air was clean and fresh. The world glowed in vivid contrast, if only for a little while. I can still see it. Taste it. Smell it. A brief moment in time when the colors were bright and crisp and the ordinary was extraordinary. That moment is what I attempt to capture in my work.

Painting and drawing are like magic to me. The images float through my eyes, into my brain, off of my fingertips and onto the paper and canvas. The joy of creating with this God given gift heightens my gratitude for this world and brings me peace.  I tend to choose quiet subjects, reflecting serenity and beauty that often goes unnoticed or is ignored. People, events and objects we take for granted often have interesting tales to tell if we take the time to look closely. The kaleidoscope of colors, patterns, shapes, textures, light and shadow can gloriously relay their stories.

 

Medium and Technique 

I currently work in oil and colored pencils. To attain depth and realism, I use the traditional glazing technique. The composition is broken out into its darkest “base” colors, which are painted in first. A quick drying medium is used with the oil paint to dilute the subsequent colors as they are applied, layer upon layer. A dry-brush technique is used to attain texture and detail. The same layer-upon-layer process is used in my colored pencil compositions.

 

Membership 

Akron Society of Artists - Vice President

Artists Archives of the Western Reserve  

Crooked River Gang

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

Hudson Society of Artists

Women's Art League of Akron

Juried Exhibitions

The Butler Institute of American Art, Area Artists Annual, Youngstown, OH

Kaleidoscope Juried Exhibition, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH

Hoyt Arts & Education Center Regional Juried Competition, New Castle, PA

Akron Society of Artists Juried Members Show, Summit Artspace, Akron, OH

Prism Regional Juried Show, Willoughby Center of the Arts, Willoughby, OH  

Cleveland Artist Foundation, Beck Center, Lakewood, OH

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Gallery Exhibitions

Orange Art Center, Pepper Pike, OH

The Vivid Gallery, Cleveland, OH

Mosaic-The Gallery, Cleveland, OH

Member Exhibitions

Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH

Crooked River Gang, Akron-Cleveland, OH

Hudson Society of Artists, Hudson, OH

Women's Art League, Akron, OH