ARTIST OF MAGICAL REALISM: "MY ART IS LOVE"  

I’m in love with oil painting - the texture of the paint, the smell of it in the studio, the movements of my brush gliding across canvas as a new creation comes into focus. It serves me with inspiration, passion and purpose. 

 I’ve survived multiple near-death experiences during my life, which left me with dreamy impressions from “the other side.” The images that linger from those events play a role in my choice of colors and the addition of surreal or dream-like elements in my work. 

 As a child I devoured World Book encyclopedias and was fascinated by images of exotic, far away places. I also raised Monarch butterflies and was captivated by the gold ring that adorns their chrysalis, believing that butterflies spun gold to make jewelry for fairies.

The memory of that magical thinking from childhood still finds its way into my art as I place jewels at the center of flowers, embellish nature's beauty with gold leaf, and introduce exotic figures and elements into my work; it's humorously fitting that my style of artwork is known as "Magical Realism."

 I spent 20 years as a dancer and costume maker, and that experience also makes its way into my art. When inspiration comes, a kaleidoscope of influences from dreams, life and imagination converge and that flood of imagery fuels my desire to paint. There are times when I don't know what direction I'll take with a painting until one central element, such as a figure or creature, is complete - and only then I understand what to create next.

 Working in my studio is exhilarating and meditative at the same time, drawing me into an addictive mindset I refer to as "the zone." It's only in the final stages of detailing, when I see a work transformed from imagination into art, that my desire to paint fades enough for me to focus on other things. 

 I’m fortunate to be alive, and my love of life fuels my craving to create - and so the circle of life as an artist is complete: My art is love.