About the Artist

Statement

My paintings represent places that are peaceful and serene, indulging in lengthy contemplation and observation of the natural world, expressing appreciation for the beauty and wonder of the natural landscape.

 The function of my works is to provide a momentary respite from the striving and struggling in the world. They express gratitude for beauty in the world and a prayer for peace and conservation. 

 

 

Bio

 To start from the beginning, as a child I loved to watch my mother paint with pastels. I always said I wanted to be an artist. Art was on hold most of my high school years except my senior year I was incapacitated from riding horses which had theretofore taken up all my time. While I was bedridden my mother brought out her pastels after many years of disuse and set up still lifes for me. I loved painting but didn’t like the dust from the pastels, so, as soon as I could walk I went and bought some oil paints.

 I copied a few marine paintings from the Sunday magazine and did still lifes and a few awful green attempts at plein air landscapes until I went to college. I went to a small women’s college in Virginia, Sullins College.

 As I studied art appreciation and art history and was taught all the nihilistic philosophy of the seventies carried over from the sixties, I bought into the whole idea of scorning artists who did anything pleasant. In painting class landscapes and florals were forbidden. I carried that baggage with me to UGA  and ended up getting my degree in Art History

 I married an Italian and my years in Italy were mostly a hiatus from painting until the last couple of years. I worked teaching English and doing translations. It was a good life with travel and skiing and going to the beach. I managed to eke out a few paintings over the years and finally at year 10 I put my foot down and decided to paint full time. That ruined my marriage and I ended up back home after just shy of 12 years.

 In 1986, when I returned to Georgia after living in Italy, I painted landscapes that were more related to color field painting or were even abstracted into geometric, optical patterns.  I loved modern art, but also admired traditional realism and impressionism. Over the years I have gone through various influences and stages of development, even admitting an attempt at abstract expressionist action painting. I poured, dripped, spattered and finger painted thinking I would come up with something like Willem De Kooning, but, the result was a somewhat realistic representational landscape. Having discovered that I will end up with a landscape regardless of how abstract I try to be, I have learned to go ahead and plan for it and make it as meaningful as possible.

Over the years I have attended many workshops and have had many influences. Some of the workshops: Scott Christensen, Dee Beard Dean, Roger Dale Brown, as well as many from the Plein Air Live event. I have to thank Stefan Baumann for helping me to master lighting effects. Back in the 70's, 80's and 90's I did a lot of plein air and date myself by explaining that it was not ordinarily feasible to paint from photos, that I would just go outside with palette and easel and paint from "life."  

Thanks to my years working in graphic design and interest in photography, I use those skills for photo editing and mostly work from a screen.

 

Technical info:

I mainly paint in oils, although I was painting mostly acrylics for a few years due to problems with fumes. I used to sometimes add a layer of sand to the undercoat just to give a bit of texture. It articulates the surface much like pointalism when you apply base colors and scumble contrasting colors onto the tops of the grains of sand.

 I have a lifelong argument with myself about being painterly or smooth in my application. Smooth usually wins, but not sleek.  Also I have gone back and forth acrylics vs oils. The newer highly refined spirits by brand name Gamsol and a studio with high ceilings and good ventilation have allowed me to comfortably paint with oils and use solvent. Very recently I took up acrylic fluid art, initially just for fun, but, my fascination has deepened. I have ended up doing some fluid acrylic landscapes,

• • •

Mini bio:

1970-1972 AFA Sullins College

1974 - BA - Art History/ Drawing and Painting UGA

1974-85 English Teacher, Milan, Italy

1989 - MFA - Drawing and Painting UGA

Balance - artist , teacher (college level and arts council type), graphic and web designer, and gallery owner

 

 • • •

Notable Sales

 

Athens First Bank, Athens, GA, Golden Afternoon, 36x48 oil on canvas

 

The Georgia Center for Continuing Education, UGA campus, Athens GA, 

 

Spring Again, 4' x 24' in 6 panels framed as 3, and Autumn Shadows, 36"x60"

Atlanta-Fulton County Libraries, Annie McPheeters branch, 

Martin Luther King Blvd. Atlanta - Spring, South Rim, 36"x60"

 

Athens/Clarke County Gvt., Dougherty St. Bldg. Foyer, Winter, North End, 36"x60"

 

Chicago Tribune Corp./Chicago Cubs Owners - Four Seasons in GA, 4 panels 48"x44"

 

Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta - 3 paintings

View West, oil on canvas 60x36"(foyer ground floor),

Oak, acrylic 30x36", Shady Trees, 30x36" (secretarial pool) 

 

 Southern Bell, Atlanta - 1 painting 1987 moved to Washington DC, 2002

 

Southeastern Data - 1 painting

 

Anderson Design for Delta Airlines - 7  large paintings for Tampa Airport Crown Lounge, 1987

 

Countless private collections.

 

• • •

Short Exhibition Record:

Regular theme shows at Lakemont Gallery changing out every 45 days 2009-present

About 30 Paintings in the Lobby and Restaurant of Lake Rabun Hotel refreshed with sales or every 6 months

Online Plein Air Magazine Salons almost monthly 2019 to present

Oil Painters of America online Salon 2020

Tallulah Falls Hotel  several paintings in the lobby 2010-13

Art in the Embassies program,  Golden Afternoon on the Pond was in the US Embassy in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 2009 -2012

30th Annual Juried Exhibition (Juror Benny Andrews, former Director NEA), Lyndon House, Athens, GA - Feb. 13-April 23, 2005

Studio, Athens, GA - October 3, 2004

Full House (group), Lyndon House Arts Center - July 2004

Sundays at Tugalo (individual) at the Georgia Center - UGA campus Athens - February 2002

Regular participation and Donation to Annual ArtCare Auction Benefit in Atlanta 1992-97

Four Seasons in Georgia (individual) display in GA Centr. during 1996 Olympics

Reflections in Nature (group)March 1996, Trinity Arts Group, Atlanta, Georgia

Art with a Southern Drawl (group), University of Mobile, Mobile AL, April, 1994

Perfection, Miriam Perlman Gallery, Chicago Ill., June 1992

 

•••••

Gallery Representation (1987-1997)

Trinity Arts Group, Atlanta

Regency Fine Art, Decatur

Novus Gallery, Atlanta

Miriam Perlman, Chicago, Illinois

 

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Current Artist Owner at 

Lakemont Gallery

www.LakemontGallery.com

 

706 424-7322