Artist Bio

I graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1987 with degrees in drawing and enameling. It is the enameling techniques of scribing metal and the layering of transparent and opaque colors that are the foundation for my paintings.

I have had several solo shows and have been invited to participate in shows all across the country from California to New York. I'm known in Cleveland for showing thoughtful, provocative works on paper and for having the only full scale art exhibit at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. I created over 70 works of art to raise awareness of the dwindling rhino populations. Currently, I am showing my abstract landscapes in several exhibits. I am taking advantage of the opportunities the internet provides to connect with other artists and galleries interested in environmental issues, particularly concerning the freaky weather.

My subject matter originates from the weather channel, travels and experiences. Oceans, rain, mist and ice, water in all of it's forms and locations are an endless source of inspiration me. I use a lot of water in my paintings; it is like music to me. The tides of the ocean, the power of a tsunami or hurricane, the calm of a wetland - each event and waterscape is an opportunity to explore the earth's beauty and fragility.

Where I once drew animals struggling in ambiguous landscapes; I now see these vast environments melting away under the forces of man and nature.

In a lot of ways my work is about the materials I use. There is an action happening in my landscapes, sometimes violent tearing and dripping from water and dye soaked paper. I also use many layers of scored and erased textures. Thin graded washes of color and overlapping blackness of ground charcoals add a technical depth to the immediate drama. I try to create a "silent urgency" through a combination of detail and color, echoing the mesmerizing and complex qualities of water. My goal is to lure the audience into experiencing beauty with an uneasy feeling imminent danger and destruction. I live in Cleveland where the weather changes every hour; the grass is green and the sky is gray. Such is life!