Time in nature
From early on I just had to get into the woods and interact with wildlife. At five years old I wasn’t allowed to cross the highway to play in the stream but you see there were frogs there so I just had to go. Unfortunately my muddied shoes and jeans were a dead giveaway of my disobedience. All these years later my desire to be where the wild things are hasn’t diminished. The office where I worked until recently was smack dab in the middle of a field, with acres of woods, a meandering stream, and swamps, and bogs. It was a very diverse eco-system. The cubicle walls much like my mom’s admonitions couldn’t contain my curiosity. There was flora and fauna out there and I wanted to see it all. I would have a limited time on my breaks but would stretch it as far as I could. Perhaps you can identify with my thought process. I wonder what is around that next bend, just a little further I have plenty of time. Then I run through the woods back to my desk again with muddy footprints on the carpet betraying my foray.
I have always been visually motivated by the world around me and have never lost my curiosity. My freshman year in high school was when I first became interested in art. All these years later i am still growing as an artist. i have an associates in early education, a bachelors in secondary art education, I studied with professional illustrators at the Northampton school of Design, and have an Mfa in illustration from the university of Hartford. I teach art at Chicopee Comprehensive high school. I have received the best of show and presidents choice awards, and have earned multiple blue ribbons in juried shows. My short stories and illustrations have been published in Massachusetts wildlife.
I love to create artwork of my experiences, mostly with a pencil and a paintbrush. I have experimented with a few different styles and can draw or paint anything, but what has always made me happiest has been painting outdoor scenes with wildlife in them and also people interacting within natural settings. i also do portraits and still lifes. I love the Hudson River school and how they would create majestic panoramas with people or animals dwarfed by the majesty. It’s a great approach, utilizing scale and emphasis. I strive to create works that are an encounter with nature, but that also tell my story. I feel i need to capture the feelings I get when I visit a place. I work in oils ,acrylic, watercolor and graphite. My artwork is inspired by my time in the field. I try to involve all of my senses along with camera, sketches, and watercolor, culminating with larger oil paintings. All the stages are a part of my communion with nature. I am a local artist and although i have visited other places New England has a hold of my heart. There is still so much to see and create right here at home. I just need to step out the door of my studio and into the woods and along the water’s edge.