Inspirations

Color

I must have been one of those babies who respond to bright colors in the bassinet. Wherever I go, wherever I am, whenever I think to myself, color is the first thing I see. Bright colors breathe in relation to each other. Most of all colors are emotional and tell stories of their own. It is my hope that when you look at the colors in my work, you feel SOMETHING, strongly.

Artists

There are too many to list, but the following five have had a profound impact on my work and my aesthetic.

Donald Saaf

For his playful imagery, celebration of  color and pattern, and his sense of humor.

Sol Lewitt

For his prolific energy I worship Sol LeWitt, and then there his design and application of color that makes my heart sing.

Henri Matisse

For his gorgeous palette, forms, and distortions of space.

Marc Chagall

For his fantastic imagery, fanciful forms, compositions, and luminous color. A friend of my son’s described my work as “Infantile Chagall.” I love seeing things where they don’t belong both in his world and in mine.

Paul Cezanne

For his brilliant strokes, structured planes, spatial dimension

Humans and Relationships

Mother and Child, Husband and Wife, Father and Daughter, Friend and Friend can all be seen in my work. And of course, loneliness. For me, it is not about the individual: it is about the relationship and space between people.
The examination of my family of origin, my childhood, my friendships, and marriages is my life’s work. My role as mother profoundly drives what I think, how I act, and why I exist. Most of my work embraces those relationships. More recently my identity as human in relationship to world, national, and local events has been a focus.

Museums

Here are some of my favorite museums and galleries that have influenced and inspired me as a painter. Museums are places to think, feel, and meditate. Please click  on a link and have a good trip!

Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand

Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Christchurch, New Zealand

Crystal Bridges of American Art, Bentonville AK

Dia:, Beacon, NY

Gaudi House, Barcelona, Spain

Louvre, Paris, France

MassMOCA, North Adams, MA

Musee D’Orsay, Paris, France

Storm King Sculpture Park, Mountainville, NY

Tate Modern, London, GB

The Broad, Los Angeles, CA

The Whitney, New York, NY