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I have known I wanted to be an artist since I was five years old when I took scissors to make paper dolls out of the women's fashion ads in the Los Angeles Times. I would trace around the body, cut out the shapes, and make various outfits for them, complete with paper tabs to wrap around the back of the figure. I learned early you could create just about anything with any image. I was hooked, not realizing that art-making would become my go-to place for the rest of my life. It is in this space where I find myself utterly present with the materials and that sacred moment when I am turning imagination into art. It is my way of processing intense emotions, then putting them in a safe container to express a deeper meaning.
Printmaking satisfies two needs for me. I can make multiples; that means I can have an image and give it away at the same time, often to many people. I can also use the print matrix like an armature on a sculpture. It can be the wireframe on which to build variations. It then becomes an idea incubator. Of course, some of my art practice is purely social. Murals are a way of building community and interacting with society. It’s my small way to give back.
Art will always be a gift—as much for me as it is for others. I will forever be grateful for how much it has enriched my life.
I have appeared nationally on numerous panels about printmaking and community art and have written articles on technology and the art-making experience. I have completed over 30 public indoor and outdoor murals and have consulted on mural projects nationally and internationally. Wherever I go, my watercolors come with me.
My work is in collections including the Clorox Corporation, Oakland, CA; Fine Arts Museums, San Francisco, CA; Galeria Nacional, San José, Costa Rica; Guanlan Printmaking Museum, Guanlan, China; Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Museum of Modern Art, NY; New York City Public Library; Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA; Reader's Digest Corporate Headquarters; City of Santa Monica, CA.
I often travel to artist residencies in many parts of the world. These new landscapes trigger an emotional response, which in turn spark new and exciting works.