My mom worked in a library when I was little and I would go there every afternoon after school. One of my favorite things to do when I got tired of reading was to go down into the basement with a jar full of markers and crayons and a stack of paper. I loved the cool, quiet of the room and the waxy smell of the crayons mixed with the smell of old books and magazines.  I would draw bright landscapes and fantastically imaginary places.  I think my palette was born there. I still love to create playfully bright compositions based on my memories and imagination. I still feel I work best in an environment of quiet introspection.

Some of my favorite things about my work are the bold color and heavy texture. I use a lot of stripes, intersecting planes, geometric and organic shapes that are quirky, not perfect.   I find that I have a vocabulary of the same forms that show up in a lot of my paintings. Scraping, cutting, and scratching into the layers is an important part of my process. I am very interested by what is left behind when the surface of a painting has been removed. By adding and subtracting I feel like I am creating an essential history.  I am not worried about the damage; I feel these areas are the most interesting and beautiful. What is no longer visible is every bit as important as what the surface shows.  I love the contrast of bright, clear translucent areas paired with heavy, dark, highly textured sections.  I feel this conflict brings the compositions to life.

When I am working, I try not to force a meaning or direction into a painting. It always feels more genuine to simply focus on color or the connection between the shapes and lines. In painting, I am free to use color any way I want to. The rules go out the window, and I am free to experiment. I am trying to create new and interesting color relationships, and make the composition fresh and lively.