I can feel as though I am living between two worlds: between Africa and the United States, between abstraction and representation, and between fantasy and pragmatism. Painting, the freedom of the canvas and being in the flow, allows me to be completely at home. I get lost in the weave of the fabric and the texture of the paint on the surface, the colors and the interplay of light. Painting is my home, and home is where I want to be.

My recent work has focused on being present with the canvas, and letting the automatic response guide the paintbrush to make a single, authentic gesture. That gesture leads to the next one, and so on- rarely do I have a plan. The process, for me, is the whole thing, and being present with the paint and my emotions is vital to my artistic voice.

I was raised in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. My family owned greenhouses and flower shops, and naturally most of my inspiration comes from flowers and organic shapes. I like to play with the rhythm of paintings, and repetition and color. I learned to sail at a young age in Lake Placid and on Lake Champlain, so boats feature prominently in my work, as well as nautical imagery.

Most recently, I lived for 11 years in Kenya where we started a family. The equatorial sun, the spray of the Indian Ocean, and the viney forests of central Kenya all influence my paintings.

I studied painting and printmaking at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, after studying for a law degree. I sm privileged to have my paintings hang in collections in museums, office buildings, and private collections throughout the world. These days, I am a former traveler with a strong sense of home and hearth. I have learned that it’s best to exist in a place with two feet in, and see what happens.