Artist Statement:
As an artist my greatest joy is seeing others discover or rediscover their own creative selves. My own artistic journey has been ebbing and flowing my entire life, but it has consistently brought me joy and taught me life lessons along the way.
Creating art is a gift I give to myself. My earliest memories are of coloring and drawing and finding joy in seeing colors mixing and filling in shapes. When asked in Kindergarten "what do you want to be" I answered : a dancer, a mom and an artist. I was 5 years old at the time. Fast forward several decades and I am happy to report I fulfilled my childhood dreams. I was a dancer in a modern dance company. I've been a mother for over 20 years and now at long last I am delighted to call myself an Artist.
It wasn't until 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and realizing my only son was going off to college, that I began exploring art again. Although I enjoy working in many mediums, alcohol inks were perfect for what I needed during such uncertain times. The process is simple and satisfying: A drop of ink, then a drop of alcohol, some air to move it and mix it up. The end result is always a surprise! This has given me a sense of freedom to relax and enjoy the spontaneity of art. I have come full circle in my artistic life. I am once again that little girl spending countless hours mixing colors waiting to see the end result.
Fast forward a few short years...
Just before the start of the New Year, 2023 life threw a wicked curveball into my world. You don't realize how vulnerable human life can be, nor how quickly things can forever change in an instant. You also might not realize how strong you can be when you have to be. 2023 was a year of my greatest challenges, my lowest lows, but also my year to see the most genuine grace, kindness and loyalty in humankind. For many months I had to put aside my art to focus on my family in crisis. We all put aside everything in order to concentrate on healing and working toward a better and happier future. It took every ounce of effort, help from many hardworking and talented professionals and the kindness of family, friends and strangers to get to a place where we can breathe easier. I am happy to say we are definitely improving and finding joy everyday once again!
I finally picked up a paintbrush again in Winter 2024. I wish I could tell you that it was like riding a bike and that I fell back into making art easily. It did not go well at first, and I was worried that I fell out of love with my art. I was frustrated, so very frustrated. I thought the joy I always had felt before would immediately return. It did not, so I made the decision to take a break from my alcohol inks.
Taking a break from something I loved helped me clarify why I was frustrated. I was looking through my old art and remembering how excited I felt creating it. Turns out it was all in the colors! When I first started working with inks I was loving the super bright and intense colors. I was new to being an artist and loved how bold it felt using such a bright palette. Now, after so much has happened in such a short time, I'm more drawn to calm colors and soothing images. I got new colors and focused on playing with the inks as a form of relaxation with the hope of a pleasing end product. I think that is when I noticed that making art is a step in my personal healing process. It is my way of reclaiming who I'm meant to be and who I've always been. Art mimics life. Both can be messy and orderly, colorful and bleak, exciting and calm, predictable and surprising, and I wouldn't have it any other way… in art or life.