Gantner Gallery, June 4-25, 2022

“The Tree of Imagination”

Artist Statement
I came back to making art in my 40s after many years away from it. I’ve long been interested in natural history, and I mostly concentrate on painting landscape. Trees are one of my favorite subjects; I like how they define and create space with their varied forms and the mass and growth of their trunks and limbs. Reading about the ecological wonders of forests and the recent research about the underground “communications” among trees has deepened my fascination with them.
I’ve worked in lots of different mediums—pastels, oils, oil pastels, acrylic, collage, mixed media, clay. What has interested me across them all, though, is composition, that is, the architecture or visual structure of a work. I’m drawn to strong graphic or sculptural designs—probably related to my attraction to the powerful forms of trees. I’ve been doing more abstract work in recent years. My goal, no matter what the subject, is to keep exploring the expressive qualities and limitations of each medium and the range of compositional devices. I’m always willing to try new mediums and new ways of working, and my work keeps evolving.
The deep engagement involved in making art is important to me. So too is the community of artists I’ve found along the shoreline and the affirmation it has provided.

History
I’ve studied with several excellent Connecticut artists at the Guilford Art Center, Lyme Art Association, and Creative Arts Workshop, including Lisa Wolkow, Alice Chittenden, Sheila Kaczmarek, Lenny Moskowitz, John Massimino, Joann Ballinger, and others.

Affiliations
I serve on the board of the Guilford Art League and am a member of the Clinton Art Society, Madison Art Society, and Essex Art Association. I’ve exhibited in these and other shoreline shows for the last 20+ years and have received a number of awards.