art alley

 

“This cluster of paintings is a representation of the collection created while I was on an artist residency in Twisp, Washington in the early winter months of 2022. The many feet of snow and frigid temperatures are quite a contrast to what we are experiencing now! My residency in Twisp was self-directed, a play space dedicated to my exploration of mediums, and tools and working in a huge studio where I could paint many paintings at a time, and BIG! In the midst of a global pandemic, cultural conflict, and social upheaval, I craved a space of solitude, renewal, and healing. The isolation and quiet of a snowy landscape allowed uninterrupted exploration of artistic expression and inner dialogue through a myriad of tools and mediums. I consciously collected paints from many sources, including leftovers from artist friends to avoid waste. I felt I could mix and play to my heart’s content. I sourced many types of canvases: linen, cotton, stretched and rolled. Tools were everything and anything that made marks: trowels, scrapers, sticks, bubble wrap, large stiff brushes, texture brushes, scour pads, torn cardboard, and tile spacers, to name a few. Neurographica, or neuro graphic art, became a form I explored both in sketchbooks and in the studio. The form was created by Russian psychologist, Pavel Piskarev, in 2015 and connects unique art with stress reduction and psyche healing. I’ve included some of the pen and watercolor/gouache pieces I created while sitting in our lodge by the fireplace in meditation. The immense pieces were full-body explorations on a much larger scale. I was born in Sacramento, CA in 1973 and grew up in Wenatchee, graduating from Wenatchee High in 1991. I studied Speech Communications and Music in Eugene, OR, graduating in 1995. I dedicated attention to my art, and art teaching, in 2016 under the tutelage of Jan Cook Mack and completed the Teaching Artist Training Lab (TAT) in Seattle in 2019. I’ve taught locally, globally, and online; at studios, schools, galleries, wineries, clubs, restaurants, plein air locations, retreats, and in the Wenatchee Museum & Cultural Center’s MakerSpace. In 2019, I was thrilled to be selected as the Pybus Poster contest winner, and one of my dahlia paintings was included in the Pybus Foundation’s portfolio. I was selected to create educational videos for ARTS-WA, Washington State Arts Commission through the Creative StART Studio. I led the steering committee for the new NCW Arts Alliance, a non-profit that supports and promotes all artistic endeavors throughout the region. I believe that the arts are vital to the creative expression of all of us and our overall health. The arts are a pillar of education that provides creativity for entrepreneurial dreams, a community’s diverse and inclusive expression, and every individual’s unique power”.

 

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” ~Pablo Picasso