In my first efforts at painting, I worked from photographs of my family that I had taken myself. Eventually I moved to more abstract work, using swirling shapes and bright colors in an attempt to suggest a universe of joy and energy. More recently I have alternated between realistic images of people in urban settings – New York subway riders – or outdoors – sunbathers at the beach. Other work uses bright colors in paintings that contain more design elements and may be seen to be decorative as well as narrative.

I have taken several classes in painting but I am primarily self-taught. Painting is work – but in a good way! I like the process of starting something and watching it change and become more interesting as I get further into the process.

I believe in the joy of color; that paintings can make our living spaces, which are filled with mass-produced objects, livelier and more personal. For myself, making something that has never been made before provides a unique and greatly satisfying experience.