Meet the Artist
I have lived in four countries, seven states in the US, and one province in Canada (so far). I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest as a child and eventually made my way to Vancouver, BC as an adult. I now reside in the arid region of the Okanagan. I relish long walks in the forest and give myself lots of space to dream and be playful. I am driven by the pursuit of beauty and an innate curiosity to know myself and the world around me.
“MAKING ART IS THE PATH TO KNOWING MYSELF”
There are so many facets within myself, but art has remained important and necessary for the last 20+ years. Quite simply, making art is the primary path to knowing and understanding myself. Art making allows me to express that which I cannot with words—the tensions I feel within, the beauty of a particular curve, the complexity of multiple colors coming together to blend and breathe together—and ultimately it allows me to be a conduit through which images flow.
I begin each piece with automatic drawing: with each line that reveals itself, a new mark is made in reaction to the one before it, slowly building the story the surface wants to tell. Then, working with the essential nature of my materials, I allow the paint, ink or graphite to live and breathe. I enjoy juxtaposing harsh, sharp lines against organic forms that are soft, bulbous, and often pod-like.
In my illustrations I have explored two specific characters: Kumo and Toda. Kumo is named after the Japanese word meaning ‘spider’, while Toda is a name born of word play. Kumo is a friendly creature who likes exploring the Natural world. Toda is a mischievous spiritual creature born of tree sap who can walk between the physical world and the spiritual world. Sometimes cute, oftentimes macabre, these creatures experience very human emotions whilst exploring and interacting with the natural world.
Although art making is a meditative, non-emotional process for me, my work is often illustrative of my emotional state at the time. Like a Rorschach inkblot, my art tends to inspire broad interpretations. My artistic style is greatly influenced by Surrealism, forms found in nature, the female form, as well as Japanese culture including manga, the concept of ‘wabi sabi’, and traditional calligraphy.
Photo by: The Portrait Sessions