Artist's Statement
Some artists work without intending the finished piece to be representative of who they are as an artist and an individual. I am not that artist! Everything I create comes from within me and is an expression of who I am as a Christian, woman, wife, sister, daughter, teacher, and friend.
People often have a hard time understanding my work because of its abstract nature. I am not a realist. I appreciate realism and I love to capture real life in photographs, or in my drawings, but the idealist and the poet in me come out in my abstract work. I share a story, a thought, or an emotion in each piece I create.
I have been working through a collage phase for the past few years and do not see it ending any time soon. I love collage because my finished product incorporates many different mediums, shapes, and textures. Our world is made up of so many different materials, just as our community here in the Valley includes individuals from many different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, and beliefs. We have the ability to co-exist beautifully, and my work is representative of that.
I am most fascinated with people and the intricacies of their lives. Just as I seek to teach in a way that is specific to the student(s) I am instructing, I also aim to create work that is representative of the person or persons with whom I have been commissioned.
There is purpose to my work, though I may not always know what it is. I feel artwork can open your mind and heart to a new level of understanding, and it is my hope that my work does that for others.